4 minute read
A Message from the CEO: Baton Changes
from Inside News December 2021
by RANZCR
As our President offers his farewells in his last Inside News column, I am at the opposite end of my College journey and typing my first column as your CEO. As someone with a long career in leading membership associations (including as interim CEO of the RACP following their online exam failure) and an experienced governance professional, I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead the College. My first weeks here have been a whirlwind of new acronyms, new people, new issues, new processes, and a new history to learn. I look forward to meeting more of you in the New Year as the borders across Australia and New Zealand open.
Farewell to our departing President and Treasurer
Lance Lawler has been President of the College for a remarkable four years and during that time, the College has undergone an incredible transformation. The role of president in a medical college is often time-consuming and thankless. It requires the patience of a saint, the negotiating skills of a senior diplomat, and the ability to guide Directors and members through multiple options in often uncertain environments. The role also requires a leader who can work positively with the CEO to deliver long-term benefits to the College, encouraging the CEO and the management team to achieve, while ensuring Board oversight so that management delivers to the agreed strategic plan. Lance has delivered extremely well against all these measures and after two terms as President, I am sure he will welcome the opportunity to take a breath and regain some of his valuable time. On a personal note, I will long carry Lance’s sage advice to his new CEO at our last Board meeting.
The Board is also saying goodbye to our Treasurer, Brigid Hickey. Brigid has established a strong Board financial governance framework with the College’s Finance Manager, Jennifer Maher, during their time together. She also made an enormous contribution as Chair of the ASM Management Committee for the last four years. Brigid leaves the Treasurer position knowing that the College is in a solid financial position and that the Board is receiving the financial information it needs to make good decisions.
Farewell to our interim CEO Mark Nevin
Along with our Board changes, the College also bids farewell to our interim CEO and long-standing staff member, Mark Nevin. Over an extensive career with the College, Mark had transformed our Policy and Advocacy capabilities, before announcing his intention to leave for a career change. Mark graciously accepted the interim CEO role twelve months ago and has guided the College through some uncertain times, while delivering a raft of key initiatives for the College. After handing over to me and catching his breath, Mark has now resumed his intention to change his career. We all wish Mark the best for this change, knowing he will succeed in any endeavour he chooses to pursue.
RANZCR 2022−2024 Strategic Plan
College members would have recently received an email with a link to the RANZCR 2022−2024 Strategic Plan. This plan builds upon the 2019 Strategic Plan and focuses on six Strategic Priorities:
• Member Experience
• Advocacy
• Education
• Workforce
• Clinical Excellence
• Organisational Resilience.
The plan provides goals and key initiatives under each of these strategic priorities. The College engaged in extensive member consultation during the creation of our strategic plan and we received considerable member feedback, which was then used to refine the plan to its current format. Thank you to everyone who contributed their thoughts during this process; your insights are much appreciated. We now have a College roadmap for the next three years, thanks to your efforts.
Our College team met in early December to build a series of action plans under each of these strategic priorities, that will operationalise the strategy and allow us to deliver the objectives of the plan.
