Meet the ACHSM Board of Directors, who are dedicated to advancing and advocating for health service management across Australasia.
Elizabeth Koff AM
FCHSM (Hon) President
In April 2022 Elizabeth was appointed Managing Director of Telstra Health, Australia’s largest digital health company and a subsidiary of Telstra Corporation.
Prior to this Elizabeth was Secretary, NSW Health for a six year term. As Secretary, Elizabeth was responsible for the management of the NSW health system, the largest health system in Australia with a $30 billion budget and 124,000 FTE. Key strategy achievements include the implementation of value based care across NSW, the progression of e-Health initiatives and a $2bn/year capital infrastructure program.
In 2020/2021 Elizabeth lead the NSW Health system through the COVID-19 pandemic and advised NSW crisis cabinet on the management of COVID-19 in NSW, and the subsequent vaccination roll out.
Elizabeth was chair of the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC) and its subsequent iteration of Health Chief Executives Forum. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.
Elizabeth was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2022 Honours. In September 2022 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Western Sydney University for her contribution to healthcare in Western Sydney.
Dr Neale Fong
FCHSM CHE MBBS DIPCS MTS MBA FAICD Vice President/Branch Councillor Director
Appointed to the Board in 2011 and elected Vice President in 2025.
Dr Neale Fong has more than 40 years’ experience in medical, health care and aged care leadership roles. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Bethesda Hospital, Chair of the WA Country Health Service Board, a Non-Executive Director of ASX-listed companies Little Green Pharma and InteliCare, a NED at the Digital Health CRC, Chair of Mineral Resources Ltd (Health) and Chair of the WA Institute of Sport.
He was formerly, the Director General of the WA Department of Health, Chief Executive Officer of St John of God Hospital Subiaco, Project Director for the establishment of the Curtin University Medical School, and Chairman of the WA Football Commission.
He has been awarded the Gold Medal from the ACHSM and the ACHS as well an Honorary Doctor of Medicine from Curtin University in recognition of services to health care, and especially leadership development.
He currently consults widely through Australis Health Advisory to a number of key health clients in Australia.
He holds Bachelor Degrees in Medicine and Surgery, a Masters in Theological Studies and a Master’s in Business Administration.
Michael Palassis
AFCHSM B COM LLB GR DIP APP FIN M APP FI F FIN Treasurer
Appointed to the Board in 2022. Michael is one of Australia’s leading financial and commercial advisers providing commercial, strategic and financial advice on health and hospital projects across Australia. Michael has over 20 years’ experience in the health sector.
Michael is the founder and Executive Director of Paxon, a corporate finance advisory firm specialising in infrastructure. Established over 20 years ago, Paxon is a market leading expert in hospital, healthcare and aged care projects, advising on over $20 billion worth of health sector transactions in the last five years. Michael is a trusted adviser to Australian governments, financiers and operators for expert advice in the development, financing and structuring of major cornerstone projects and transactions.
Michael is a former member of the Senate of the University of Western Australia. Prior to establishing Paxon, Michael worked in Investment Banking and Project Finance, in Australia and the USA.
Jan Adams
FCHSM CHE Branch Councillor Director
Before joining Pinnacle, Jan was the managing director for Bupa villages and aged care in Australia and New Zealand and was Bupa’s global chief nurse.
She is a registered nurse and midwife and has held various senior nursing and management posts in the UK, New Zealand and Australia across the public and private sectors.
Jan’s career in health spans forty-nine years. She was chief operating officer at Waikato DHB for eight years and was closely involved in the redevelopment programme as well as managing the operational and financial day to day performance of the provider arm. Her time with Bupa included working with nurses across the globe as well as having overall responsibility for the retirement villages and aged care facilities across Australia and New Zealand.
Jan has served as a member of the Nursing Council of New Zealand, as a board member of the New Zealand Aged Care Association and the national Aged Care Steering Group and represented nursing on the national InterRAI board. Jan is a Fellow of the College and a Certified Health Executive. She was awarded an Honorary Professorship at the University of Waikato in 2022.
Alice Evans
FCHSM CHE Branch Councillor Director
Appointed to the Board in May 2024, Alice is an experienced executive having worked in the Health, Education and Health technologies sector as a Board Chair, CEO, Physiotherapist and Manager.
Alice has also worked in Mining services as a global executive general manager and director with GroundProbe, during its rapid worldwide growth as a technology start-up delivering safety and productivity improvements.
She is currently a Queensland Branch Council member of ACHSM and has served as a Director of Curae Technology, Family Planning Alliance Australia (FPAA) Voluntae (Systems for volunteer management and engagement) and Cardihab (Health technology SaaS for cardiac rehabilitation) and has been Chair of both FPAA and Cardihab. Alice consults to the University of Queensland Business School as an Industry Lecturer.
Alice is currently Head of Innovation, Growth & Strategy for national aged care provider integratedliving. Prior to this, she was CEO, of Family Planning Qld and led its transformation to True, delivering a major turnaround and growth strategy resulting in a 30% increase in revenue and a 40% increase in client access. The story of True’s turnaround and fundraising achievement, was published by USA VitalSource, for use as a university textbook.
Through extensive stakeholder engagement nationally and internationally Alice has worked closely with Health Ministers, Policy advisors, University leaders, industry related CEOs and has been a guest of the Health Minister of USA.
Alice has presented at numerous conferences and has been a guest speaker on leadership for the University of Queensland events. Alice was selected by Perpetual and QUT as one of ten leading Australian NFP CEO’s, to attend the world’s largest fundraising conference in the USA, and to subsequently contribute to research and policy development at a national level.
Alice completed an MBA in 2012 winning the Director’s award for Leadership and the Academic excellence prize highlighting her ability to take theoretical concepts and apply these to business. She has continued to work with UQ and led international project teams to create market entry strategies for Australian business to open in USA, including the extraordinarily successful launch of Lorna Jane in USA. Alice also holds a Bachelor of Physiotherapy (B. Phyt); Graduate Certificate of Executive Leadership (GCEL), Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and is a Fellow of ACHSM (FCHSM) and a Certified Health Executive (CHE). In 2016 Alice was awarded the MBA Alumni Ambassador prize recognising her business and community leadership and has recently been nominated to be an Adjunct Professor with UQ.
Jo Glover
FCHSM CHE MSC DMS Branch Councillor Director
Jo started her career as a Specialised Clinical Scientist in inherited metabolic diseases in children across London, UK, before moving into operational management, general management, and executive leadership of Clinical Laboratories, Cancer, Diagnostics, and whole hospital systems.
Jo is a highly competent senior operational and strategic lead with significant expertise in clinical service transformation, workforce redesign, remodelling and reconfiguration, coupled with a proven track record in change management.
Jo demonstrates excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to inspire confidence and build strong stakeholder relationships, including in politically charged arenas.
Prof Len Notaras AO
FCHSM CHE Branch Councillor Director
Professor Leonard Notaras is the Executive Director of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) (2009-2014, 2016-2017). Professor Notaras was appointed as the Chief Executive of the Northern Territory Department of Health in April 2014. He was previously the Executive Director of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) (2009-2014). For more than 16 years he also held the positions of Medical Superintendent at Royal Darwin Hospital, General Manager and Principal Medical Consultant.
Professor Notaras holds degrees in Medicine, Law and Arts (Hons) and Commerce and has Masters in History and Hospital Management. He is a Fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) and is a former ACHSE NT President. He was directly involved in the development of the NT Clinical School, as well as the NT Pharmacy School, and was closely involved in the vision that saw the creation of Australia’s NCCTRC.
Professor Notaras was appointed as a government representative on the ACHS Board in 2002 and was Vice President from 2015 to 2017. He was elected ACHS President in May 2017. He has also been on the Board of Directors for ACHS International since 2009. He was also conferred Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) in October 2022.
Dr Karen Patterson
FCHSM CHE Branch Councillor Director
Karen completed the ACHSM Fellowship in 2015, was elected to the NSW Branch Council in 2017. She was then elected NSW Branch President 2019- 2021, and appointed ACHSM Branch Councillor Board Director in 2021, which is ongoing.
With a health career spanning over 40 years, Karen has worked in metro, regional and rural health settings, and held a range of clinical, management, policy, executive, academic & research roles. In 2019, Karen joined the Clinical Excellence Commission executive leadership team as the Director, Capability & Culture. One of the pillar agencies of the NSW Health system, the CEC has two broad areas of responsibility, including setting standards for safety, and monitoring clinical safety and quality processes, and improving performance of individuals, teams, and systems in prioritising safety.
Karen is an APHRA Registered Nurse and Midwife, she completed her Doctorate in 2024 with UTS Health: Centre for Health Services Management, School of Public Health. Karen also holds Master Midwifery (Research) and Graduate Diploma in Adult Education. Karen is an International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) Fellow, an ISQua Expert Panel member and recently appointed on the WHO, Patient Safety Consultant register. In 2021 she was appointed to the Mudgee Health Service, Health Council, as a community member. Karen is also a Board Director for a social enterprise cooperative in rural NSW.
Mr Adam Stormont
FCHSM CHE GAICD Branch Councillor Director, Senior Program Manager, Community Hospitals at Western Health
Adam provides leadership for the commissioning and operationalisation of the Sunbury Community Hospital and new Point Cook Community Hospital at Western Health.
He has over 20 years of public health experience in Australia. He has held roles as a clinical pharmacist, project manager and program director within the Victorian health system.
He has led the implementation of transformational change in the form of electronic medical records in several health services and has also published on this topic. He also has experience in health service commissioning and workforce planning.
He holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Health Services Management from Monash University. He is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
He has a keen interest in improving the equity of health care delivery and experience for disadvantaged parts of the population.
He is passionate about developing emerging leaders to enable the health system to be sustainable and effective into the future.
Prof Andrew Way AM
FCHSM CHE RN BSC (HONS) MBA FAICD Additional Director
Andrew Way has served as Alfred Health’s Chief Executive since 2009.
Andrew’s focus is on improving access, ensuring high quality, safe services with low mortality, within a strong financial framework and research supportive environment. Alfred Health is now seen as a leader in these areas.
Andrew led the development of Victoria’s first Academic Health Science Centre – Monash Partners, now an accredited NHMRC Advanced Health and Research Translation Centre. He was appointed as an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University in 2015.
Andrew is also a Director of other health related organisations and is a member of several government and other advisory groups. Prior to his relocation to Melbourne in 2009, Andrew had an extensive career in the NHS in the UK, latterly as CEO of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust.
Cam Ansell
AFCHSM BBUS FAICD FICAA RCA LREA Additional Director
Appointed to the board in 2022. Cam is a Chartered Accountant and Managing Director of Ansell Strategic with over 25 years’ experience in the aged care sector across Australia, US, Asia, and New Zealand. He has led major studies advising Government and the industry on policy, financial viability, and sustainability. As an advisor he has undertaken comprehensive financial and operational reviews of retirement and aged care services and performed detailed market metric reviews that have assisted providers to identify market opportunities for capital development and redevelopment projects.
Cam has been responsible for a number of mergers and partnerships between charitable entities and has been integral in some of the largest transactions in aged care. His experience, knowledge, and advice on changing trends in seniors’ accommodation, care services and international aged care systems have led him to be recognised as a thought leader in the sector.
Dr Tony Gill
MBBS MPH FAFPHM AFCHSM CHM Branch Councillor Director
Tony is a Principal Medical Adviser at the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. He has worked at TGA since 2010 in various roles across medicines and medical devices.
Dr Tony Gill is a public health physician working as a Principal Medical Adviser in the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. He heads up the Advanced Biological and Therapies Section in the Prescription Medicines Authorisation Branch. In this role, he heads up a section involved in the clinical evaluation and market authorisation decision making for gene therapies and cell therapies as well as being involved in developing policy on emerging advanced therapies.
He commenced work at the TGA in February 2010 following 25 years in the Australian Army and has filled various roles at the TGA including acting Chief Medical Adviser of the TGA and Principal Medical Adviser roles until before moving to his current position in February 2022. In the TGA he has been involved in the regulation of unapproved therapeutic goods, the clinical evaluation of medicines, biologicals and medical devices, and the scheduling of medicines. As well Dr Gill was the lead for the introduction of TGA’s medicine shortages and medicinal cannabis areas.
In the Australian Army, Dr Gill worked across all levels of health care from primary health care to command and health advisor in various roles. He finished as a Brigadier and Branch Head in Joint Health Command and was involved in garrison health support and future health care delivery.
Kate Plowman
MCHSM BA LLB (HONS) Additional Director
Kate is a partner of MinterEllison, one of Australia’s largest law firms and a leading advisor to the health sector.
Kate acts for Australian hospital and health care providers (both public and private), as well as governments, colleges and insurers on a range of commercial, strategic and litigious matters.
Kate advises both in development and operational facets of health services, as well as dealing with disputes, employment matters, safety, quality and governance frameworks, and commercial and contracting matters.
Kate’s experience includes advising on the operational aspects of Australia’s largest health services projects and high-profile professional misconduct matters.
Dr MA Hok Cheung
MBBS (HK) 1979, DCH (LOND) 1983, MRCP (UK) 1984, FHKCP 1993, FHKAM (MEDICINE) 1993, FRCP (EDIN) 1996, FHKAM (Community Medicine) 2001, FHKCCM 2001, FRCP (LOND) 2001 President, Hong Kong College of Health Service Executives (HKCHSE)
Dr MA started his healthcare career in 1980 when he joined the United Christian Hospital (UCH) as a medical officer. He rose up the medical career path over the years through the posts of Senior Medical Officer, Medical Consultant, Chief of Service, and was finally promoted to the post of General Manager of Clinical Services of the same hospital in 1991.
Dr MA changed his career to hospital administration when the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA) was established in December 1991, and was appointed the Hospital Chief Executive (HCE) of Ruttonjee Hospital (RH) in January 1996, and later HCE of Tang Shiu Kin Hospital (TSKH) in 1998. Dr MA was rotated to the post of HCE of Caritas Medical Centre in 2008. He has also served as part time lecturer in many advanced management training programs for healthcare professionals organized by universities and professional colleges over the past 20 years. He had also served as Censor for the Hong Kong College of Community Medicine (Administrative Medicine Branch) from 2012 to 2014, and Program Director of the Dual Fellowship Program of the Hong Kong College of Health Service Executives from 2008 to 2018. He retired from the HA in August 2014, and was invited by the Board of Directors of Kiang Wu Hospital, Macau to serve as Hospital Director of Kiang Wu Hospital, and stayed in post for 6 years.
He returned to Hong Kong to join the Pok Oi Hospital Board of Directors as Chief Executive Officer between August 2020 and July 2023. His latest appointment is Chief Medical Officer (Clinical Services) of UMP, a publicly listed healthcare enterprise of Hong Kong.
Dr MA has been recipient for the Gold Medal Award of the Australian College of Health Service Executives for Leadership and Achievements in Health Services Management in 2012, and the Decoration of Honour for Community Services by CE of Macau SAR in 2018.
Catherine Chaffey
ACHSM Chief Executive Officer
Catherine has a substantial executive background at CEO / GM level with particular expertise across all sectors of adult education and association management – from strategic consulting, business management and development through to research and industry policy advice.
Prior to taking on the role of CEO of ACHSM in November 2013, Catherine was employed as General Manager within the Workforce division of ASX-listed education business Navitas. She was a Board Member of the NSW Vocational Education and Training Board for 7 years.
