Phil Lawler will retire as CentaCare Wilcannia – Forbes CEO at the end of the month and Anne-Marie Mioche will take on his role, after recently relocating to the Central West.
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After spending almost six years in the top position, Mr Lawler will leave Forbes behind to explore Australia in his caravan for the next 10 years.
The 61-year-old moved from Canberra to Forbes with wife, Darlene, in 2011 to take on the role as Chief Executive Officer.
“I came in as the CEO, replacing Sister Margaret Flynn. I had never been to Forbes before,” Mr Lawler said.
CentaCare Wilcannia – Forbes covers 52% of the state, making it the geographically largest diocese within NSW.
“It was a pretty big learning curve coming from, traditionally working in capital cities, to working in a rural setting.
“I didn’t have a clue of the challenges people in the bush have,” he said.
Anne-Marie is excited to get straight into it, but says she has big shoes to fill.
“Phil has been a strong and a good leader for the organisation. Every CEO is different. We have quite a bit in common in terms of our approach, we both tend to be big picture, focused on the strategic stuff, we’re not micromanagers, neither of us,” she said.
Prior to moving to Forbes, Anne-Marie was CEO at Playgroup Australia.
Throughout her career she has held positions as the inaugural CEO for Carer’s Australia and CEO for Families Australia.
Anne-Marie has also headed the social and emotional wellbeing section within the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.
“Most of my career has been in the not-for-profit sector,” she said.
Anne-Marie has plans to get out and about to explore her diocese, Wilcannia – Forbes.
“I don’t want to be sitting in the air conditioning in Forbes. I want to be connected to our services and the people, I think that is really important.”
The new CEO will spend the first six months learning as much as possible, exploring ways to improve things and drive the dollar further, reaching more families.
“I think that the gap between the rich and the poor in Australia is getting bigger and it is getting more pronounced in rural and remote areas.
“That is going to place more demand on services,” she said.
Her ideas include exploring the use of digital technology to reach families in remote areas within the diocese, who currently have limited access to services due to their geographical location.
“I feel really privileged to have got the job,” she said.
