Our leadership team champion and lead a dedicated, hard-working and caring team of professionals and aged care and community care workers. They exhibit and live the organisational values of quality, care, community and openness. They are highly experienced and dedicated to making a difference to all clients and residents of Dale Cottages. Here are our four executive team members.
David has over 30yrs extensive clinical and executive leadership, working in both the UK and Australia. David has been privileged to lead large complex services at Silver Chain, where he was the Director of Palliative Care, and at Bethanie where he was the General Manager, Community, before taking on the Chief Executive Officer role at Dale Cottages.
David holds a BSc Hons Occupational Therapy and is passionate about supporting individuals to live life to their fullest, and in supporting the delivery of high-quality palliative and end-of-life care.
Nichel has extensive senior management experience in the not-for-profit sector, with a strong focus on risk assessment, strategic development and Board reporting. Nichel brings over 15 years of experience in finance and multi-disciplinary roles, the last 11 of which were in aged care. Prior to his four years at Dale Cottages, he held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Global Care Inc. and Senior Management Accountant at Baptistcare Inc.
Nichel holds a Bachelor of Mathematics and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants.
Krystle has worked as a Registered Nurse for over 20 years in both public and private sectors in Australia, with extensive clinical experience across oncology, palliative care and aged care.
For the last 11 years, Krystle has lead services in aged care where she has led strong, caring and cohesive teams. Krystle holds a BSc in Nursing degree and an Advanced Diploma in Leadership and Management and currently studying a Masters in Nursing.
Krystle has held senior roles in organisations including St John of God Subiaco and large aged care provider Bethanie Group.
Sharon has worked as a Registered Nurse for over 40 years in both public and private sectors across WA and the UK. With 16 years’ experience in management, Sharon has devoted her career to seeking the best care and resources for the older population in both residential and community settings.
Sharon has worked in senior roles with organisations such as Silver Chain, Juniper, and St Basil’s WA. Her passion for nursing and community care reflects her continued commitment to the delivery of high-quality care and leadership at Dale Cottages.
Our Executive Board are highly experienced and committed to making a difference to the people, residents and clients of Dale Cottages. They bring diverse set of skills and capabilities to our organisation. Here are our six executive board members.
Jonathan is an accomplished executive with a 30 years’ experience in CEO, senior leadership and director roles. His executive career included senior leadership roles with leading risk management, consulting and financial services organisations, including Marsh/JLT (18 years) AIG and Aon (20 years).
Jonathan holds a number of non-executive roles including director with RLSWA, Dale Cottages, Scouts WA, LMDRF and SCHCS. He also serves as an independent member for Local Government Finance and Audit committees and the RSPCA. A graduate of the AICD Program (GAICD) he holds Fellowship and Life Membership with ANZIIF, and an MBA from Deakin University.
Shaun is a qualified chartered accountant and experienced corporate executive with broad experience across the aviation, resources and property sectors, including in the development of seniors living. He has held senior leadership roles throughout Europe and Australia in Lendlease, NetJets Europe (Berkshire Hathaway) and the NLV Group. He is the current Chief Property Officer for the Perth Markets Group Limited.
He brings diverse skills to the Board including strategic leadership and business planning, corporate governance and risk management, property development and project delivery expertise. Shaun was appointed to the Dale Cottages Board in December 2022 and is a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.
Leani has an extensive background in human resources, corporate services, governance and operations, primarily
within the healthcare sector. Currently working the General Manager Governance and Stakeholder Relations at the
Insurance Commission of Western Australia, Leani has more than 20 years experience working across Australia and
New Zealand. Leani is passionate about improving health outcomes for the community through supporting
organisations to succeed and has held operational and governance roles with organisations in the field.
Leani has undertaken business and healthcare tertiary education at both undergraduate and postgraduate level
including a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology), BA Honours (Psychology), Masters of Business Administration,
Postgraduate Certificate in Business, Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management and Graduate Certificate
in Leadership (Health and Human Services). Leani is a Certified Professional Member of the Australian Human
Resources Institute, Associate Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Services Management and a member of
the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Bronwyn is an experienced lawyer having worked in government for over 20 years, including in the health, education and community services sectors. She also has lived experience as the parent of a child with a disability, and is a strong advocate for inclusion. Bronwyn is General Counsel for a health service provider and a member of the Finance, Risk and Governance Committee.
Debra Barnes is an experienced Board Director and CEO. Initially training as a Registered Nurse and a Registered Sick
Children’s Nurse, Debra has over 30 years' experience of health and community services, corporate and clinical
governance, leadership and management, strategic planning and service development and innovation.
Debra is committed to being a voice for change and is passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of
others. She has a deep commitment to clinical governance, quality, safety and aged care excellence, and has been
recognised and awarded for implementing service innovation and culture transformation through building high-trust
cultures and high-performance teams.
Currently the CEO of the Family Planning Association of Western Australia, and Board Director of the Family Planning
Alliance Australia. Debra served for 7 years as a Board Director for Curtin Heritage Living Inc and Shine Community
Services and previously served as a Board Director for Bicycling WA, Primary Care WA and HeartKids WA. Debra has
an MBA from the University of Western Australia, is a graduate and member of Australian Institute of Company
Directors, is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (WA).
Jo is an Executive Manager at Western Power. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Psychology from Murdoch University and a Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Development from Curtin University. Jo’s extensive executive experience spans more than 10 years in a diverse range of industries including aged care, fast moving consumer goods and hospitality. Prior to this, Jo worked for 20 years in the human resources sector.
Jo is a confident, articulate and respected communicator who builds productive relationships with key stakeholders at all organisational levels throughout the employee lifecycle. She is passionate about transforming organisations, creating an inclusive, respectful and compassionate culture that makes it safe for people to innovate and be their best self at work every day.
Vanessa has worked as a Physiotherapist for over 30 years, in public and private health sectors, across a variety of clinical areas and in community and residential aged care.
She is a Titled Gerontological Physiotherapist (as awarded by the Australian Physiotherapy Association [APA]), devoting the last 20 years to the study and knowledge sharing of human ageing and health and wellbeing of the older person. Vanessa currently works as Principal Physiotherapist in Gerontology and Neurology private practice; is a Clinical educator at Curtin University and a research Project Manager at The University of Western Australia.
Vanessa brings an enthusiasm and unwavering commitment for meaningful shared communication, quality client-centred health and wellbeing aged care, advocacy and good governance.
We believe all seniors are entitled to high quality care delivered with dignity, respect and compassion where they feel safe and secure. At Dale Cottages, you’ll experience a warm, professional and friendly welcome. Regardless of what support you receive from us, our care team and aged care specialists provide the highest level of care and service.
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