A message from the CEO Meet Ben!

Q&A with our new CEO

We are very excited to have welcomed new CEO Ben to Murdoch this month.

You may already know that he is a nurse by trade, and has worked across a number of prominent health campuses in the UK and WA.

Most recently, he was the Deputy CEO at Joondalup Health Campus.

Get to know Ben a little more, as he candidly answers some questions.

1. What inspired you to pursue a career as a CEO in the healthcare industry, and what motivated you to join us at Murdoch?

When I was a nurse, I looked at some of the ward sisters I worked with, and I was inspired by them and how they created environments for nurses to be able to be the best, and so that was the job I always wanted. I was lucky enough to be a ward charge nurse / clinical nurse manager a few times in my career, and then after that one thing lead to another and here we are, with what I think is the best job I have ever had.

2. Can you share a bit about your previous experiences as a nurse, your different leadership roles, and how those experiences have shaped your leadership approach?

I’ve had loads of different experiences, loads of learnings from excellent role models – and also a few times where I have seen things that I will never do. I’m always looking to learn new things, be that good or bad. Being part of the development and building of Perth Children’s Hospital gave me an appreciation of a hospital as a whole, not just the clinical areas, and how it all works together. I learnt a lot during COVID as well.

3. What do you consider to be the most important qualities in a successful leader, and how do you embody these qualities?

Be a good listener, never be afraid of changing your mind, and making people you talk to feel like they are the only person in the room.

4. If you were not a CEO, and previously a nurse, what would be you be?

No idea - I have only ever worked in hospitals, I love them, I love the energy, I love the passion of caregivers, I love the altruism, I love the giving back nature of healthcare provision, so something else in a hospital.

5. If you could pick up a new skill instantly, what would it be, and why?

Woodwork - particularly furniture making.

6. Do you support a sport team? If so, who?

Yes - West Coast Fever and Leeds United.

7. What is your favourite holiday destination?

Rottnest Island.

8. Netflix or novel – which do you prefer? Any recommendations?

Both! TV - Ted Lasso for lessons on kindness and respect. Books - The Rivers of London series, a bizarre Harry Potter meets Arthur Conan Doyle.

9. Morning person or night owl? Both.