Kinnersly lands job on Blues board, reflects on BHS time

FORMER Ballarat Health Service board member Patty Kinnersly has announced her next move, taking up a role with the Carlton Football Club.

The CEO of Our Watch Australia, the national foundation to prevent violence against women and their children, wasted no time in committing to another governance position but this time it’s for her passion.

“Having been on the BHS not only was it a terrific opportunity and one which I thoroughly enjoyed, the reason I joined the board is because I have a really strong belief in the power of strong governance and in any organisation, I also believe that you have to have strong leadership in order to run it well,” she said.

“In this town the Ballarat Health Services is an iconic organisation with something like four thousand staff, with a really big reach into our community and across the region. It has been part of my story as well as everyone else’s and so when the opportunity came along to be a part of the governance structure there was something that I really wanted to grab on to with both hands, and it was a real privilege to do that.”

Ms Kinnersly added that her time on the BHS Board was, “absolutely challenging,” because she joined at a time when there was a fair bit of complexity going on in the organisation, with plenty of media reports, especially about bullying in the workplace.

“I joined when we were really exercising our responsibilities to the staff and to the community members, to state that we were a well-run organisation with client care at the core and caring for its staff,” she said.

“I don’t necessarily think that the Ballarat community, as a whole, has a strong opinion about the Governance of BHS, either but, yes, they do care on how we deliver the services in their town, and make sure that they do have the right to access world class health care.

Ms Kinnersly added that in many areas across the hospital they are already achieving first class care.

“Health care in this country costs a lot of money. Access to the money and the delivery of it, as a board member, we were always looking for efficiencies and yes people would say it is a nice building but actually the test is when you walk through the door, are you treated with respect and do you have the right care all the way through,” she said.

Ms Kinnersly was hesitant at being drawn into what were her most important achievements at BHS, choosing to focus on being a team player.

“It’s been a short time on the board for me and it would be a small part of this story but I would say in that time listening to staff and patient’s and understanding the changes that needed to be made were very important and then gathering the data needed to inform those decisions, then getting on and doing them,” she said.

“A big part of that is to make sure we have employed the people that we think will be an excellent executive group led by the CEO, and the intent as a central health centre at BHS is really strong and people are willing to work towards that.

“For me it has been maintaining good staff and to see the patients getting the best care, also good governance is making sure the structures are around it and I feel like we have done that over the past three years and this current board will take that forward.”

Ms Kinnersly has now been invited onto the board of the Carlton Football Club in part due to her association with Our Watch.

Ballarat has a great representation amongst female leaders, starting with Cr Samantha McIntosh who was recently reappointed for a third term as Mayor of the city.

Ms Kinnersly will be the first board appointee across the AFL with a specific portfolio in women’s football.

“I had been working in my professional role OWA at the Carlton Football Club, advising the club on their gender equality work, which they have quite a strong commitment to.

People may have seen Carlton Respects, which has been running for the past couple of years, so having built a relationship from that I was approached earlier this year to consider joining their board,” she said.

“I underwent quite a rigorous process and now I am just about to be formally appointed; it is a great opportunity.

“I love Australian rules football and I believe in the power of good governance and so for those things to align and come together to my national CEO role is an exposure to a whole lot of other circumstances and networks.

“I am still passionate about the Blues and I actually feel positive about the club despite what is happening on the field, the board, under the leadership of Mark LoGiudice, has undertaken a power of work over the past four or five years to address the foundation cultural elements of the club, the financials and to meet the needs of the members and of course to structure and change the on field of this club, as well.

We are really confident that we will turn the corner in the next couple of years, so I am reminding everyone that we may win the first premiership women’s AFL in 2019.”