The Chronicle

Career change for CEOs

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TWO renowned health industry CEOs on the Darling Downs have revealed their plans to step down from their posts.

Within 24 hours of each other, Darling Downs Health chief executive Dr Peter Gillies and Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN CEO Merrilyn Strohfeldt announced their plans to move on from their roles.

Both leave behind incredible legacies in the past 12 months of their work alone.

TWO renowned CEOs on the Darling Downs have revealed their plans to step down from their posts, both leaving behind incredible legacies in the past 12 months of their work alone.

Within 24 hours of each other, Darling Downs Health chief executive Dr Peter Gillies and Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN CEO Merrilyn Strohfeldt announced their plans to move on from their roles.

Dr Gillies, who has played an instrument­al role in leading the region through the pandemic, announced his decision to step down on Thursday morning.

He will be taking up the role as chief executive of the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service as of October this year.

Dr Gillies assumed the role of chief executive in May 2016 after moving to Toowoomba in 2009 where he began his illustriou­s career with Darling Downs Health as director of medical services and then executive director of the Toowoomba Hospital.

“The Darling Downs Health executive team is a passionate group of profession­als who have worked really hard to improve the way we provide care across our region,” he said.

“We have set some challengin­g goals as an executive that centre on developing our people and improving patient safety and outcomes.

“I know that the executive will continue to lead the organisati­on to achieve these targets.

“I would like also say thank you to the Darling Downs Health board chair Mr Mike Horan AM and the Darling Downs Health board for their support during my time as chief executive.”

Ms Strohfeldt also announced she would retire at the end of 2021 after a fouryear tenure with the network.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to work with stakeholde­rs and the community over the past four years to implement local solutions that make a difference,” Ms Strohfeldt said.

“In this time, we have seen a number of major changes within the health care sector, and I could not be prouder to have played a role in ensuring the community has better access to primary health care.”

Ms Strohfeldt joined the PHN in January 2018 and was instrument­al in steering the organisati­on through a number of major challenges.

This includes reforming mental health care services funded by the organisati­on to the national stepped care agenda and overseeing the commission­ing of over $123 million in primary health care services.

 ??  ?? Merrilyn Strohfeldt
Merrilyn Strohfeldt
 ??  ?? Dr Peter Gillies
Dr Peter Gillies

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