Chief Executive Officer

The Organisation

Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS) is the major public healthcare provider in the South Gippsland Shire. The health service has a number of sites across the Shire including the Korumburra Hospital, Leongatha Hospital, Alchera House and Hillside Lodge in Korumburra and Koorooman House in Leongatha.  

GSHS provides a comprehensive range of Specialist General, Acute, Aged and Residential (86 – some hostel some nursing home beds), Allied Health and Community Services to the residents of the Shire of South Gippsland and is one of the largest employers in the area with approximately 450 staff across two campuses in Leongatha and Korumburra.  Census population for South Gippsland is 30,577.  Points to note are that the area has an ageing population that is less culturally diverse.  This is a predominantly farming community.

The brief

The previous CEO, Mark Johnson opted for early retirement in September 2022 after completing 8 years with the service culminating in the COVID years. 

Brooker Consulting was invited to submit a proposal outlining our approach and methodology in a search and recruitment process to identify a worthy successor. This is what was said: The CEO of GSHS will be charged with the responsibility of leading the organisation through a bold transformation process devised by the Board to take GSHS into its next phase of growth and expansion.

In achieving this transition, the CEO will maintain the highest standards of corporate and clinical governance, operating at all times in a manner consistent with the Vision, Mission and Values of GSHS.

The CEO as leader will work with the Board in implementing a comprehensive health services plan with the community of South Gippsland. Safety and quality in health care, community engagement, financial stewardship, workforce development and the enhancement of a positive culture, will all be critical success factors.

The process

After demonstrating a successful track record of relevant past appointments within the sector, Brooker Consulting was engaged to conduct an executive search and selection process to identify an outstanding candidate to be CEO. The Brooker team then met with the Board to get a sense of what they were looking for in their next CEO.  An extensive strategy was outlined, and the campaign was launched by Brooker.  It was decided to advertise in The Age and targeted online sites to disseminate the opportunity to as wide an audience as possible. The Brooker team reached out to candidates and referral partners to build a strong search universe. A comprehensive combination of external advertising and targeted executive search generated an impressive level of interest and a high-quality shortlist.

The outcome

After the presentation of seven worthy applicants to the Selection Committee, it was decided to interview four candidates in a full day of assessment. From these interviews, one standout candidate emerged who was invited to attend a second round assessment where they presented to the Board, on their style of leadership, vision for the organisation and areas of focus for the first 90 days in the role.  Louise Sparkes emerged as the preferred candidate and following reference checking, was appointed the next CEO of Gippsland Southern Health Service. 

Bringing more than 30 years’ experience in public health care to the role, Louise Sparkes had been part of the executive team at Bass Coast Health (BCH) since 2016, initially as Executive Director of Access and Emergency and later as Executive Director for Acute Services. In 2018, she started in the role of Chief Operating Officer providing executive leadership to all clinical services during a time of significant growth and transformation. 

In January 2021, Louise became Deputy Chief Executive Officer and then undertook a secondment with Latrobe Regional Hospital as Interim Executive Director Gippsland Health Services Partnerships from March 2022-July 2022. She returned to BCH to provide executive oversight to the commissioning of the $115m Wonthaggi Hospital Expansion project.