Interim Chief Executive Officer

The Organisation

Sale Elderly Citizens Village (please note that this organisation has been renamed Ashleigh House) is a community-based, not-for-profit organisation with over 45 years of experience in providing exceptional residential aged care services and independent accommodation. The organisation is dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for its residents, supported by its core values of Compassion, Tolerance, Integrity, Teamwork, and Respect.

Services Provided:

Ashleigh House:

Residential Aged Care: The facility offers 80 beds, including 20 beds in a specialist dementia/memory support wing.

High Standard Supportive Working Conditions: Sale Elderly Citizens Village aims to be a local Employer of Choice, providing a positive and supportive work environment for its staff.

Focus on Resident Dignity: Every aspect of care is centred around maintaining the dignity and respect of the residents.

Independent Accommodation:

Northwood Park: Offers independent living with a community atmosphere.

Eastwood Park: Provides comfortable and secure independent living options for seniors.

Core Values:

Compassion: The organisation approaches every situation with empathy and care.

Tolerance: Diversity is embraced, practising patience and understanding.

Integrity: Operations are conducted with honesty and strong moral principles.

Teamwork: Collaboration is emphasised to achieve the best outcomes for residents.

Respect: The dignity and rights of every individual are honoured.

Community and Experience:

With over 175 residents, Sale Elderly Citizens Village fosters a vibrant and supportive community.

With more than four decades of experience, the organisation ensures expert and compassionate care for its residents.

Sale Elderly Citizens Village is committed to providing a nurturing environment where residents feel valued and supported, ensuring their well-being and quality of life.

The brief

Brooker Consulting was requested by the Board Chair to submit a proposal for the provision of executive search and selection services to assist the Board to recruit an outstanding Interim Chief Executive Officer to manage the organisation after the departure of the CEO under emergency circumstances.

The incoming executive would echo the organisation’s values of Compassion, Tolerance, Integrity, Teamwork and Respect whilst dealing with immediate challenges that spanned essential skills gaps, financial instability and a pending accreditation process.

The process

It was estimated that the Interim Executive would be needed for a 3–6-month period during the search period to appoint a substantive candidate.  This required the candidate to be present in Sale for at least 4 days of the working week. Accommodation support was provided, and a vehicle was made available due to the travel requirement of the position.

The ideal candidate was to bring financial leadership, corporate governance, and human skills to manage multiple and often competing stakeholder groups. The Interim CEO was to stabilise and bring cohesion to a team that had been working in a toxic environment.

The outcome

After a rapid and extensive search campaign (48 hours), two candidates were presented for discussion during the shortlisting meeting with the Selection Panel.  Both were selected for an interview.  After a rigorous interview process, Trevor Watson was appointed to the position.

Trevor Watson is a customer-focused, collaborative leader known for delivering exceptional outcomes. With core experience in driving commercial performance, leadership, strategy, operations, finance, risk and governance, he excels in leading transformations in large-scale, multi-site businesses. Trevor has a proven track record in multinational and public sector settings, particularly in the highly regulated health insurance, hospital, and aged care sectors across Australia, the UK, New Zealand, and India. He also brings significant executive experience in the Australian community health and not-for-profit space. Trevor’s professional experience is complemented by his significant qualifications, including an MBA with professional Accounting and Nursing qualifications. He is also a Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Trevor is currently very well regarded by the members of the Board who are hopeful that he will stay on in the substantive role.