John Stanway

Chief Executive Officer

BEc, Grad Dip IR, FAICD

John Stanway was appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) in April 2017. Prior to commencing in this role, John was the Chief Operating Officer at the RCH for more than ten years, overseeing clinical operations. From 2012, John also held the position of Deputy CEO.

Before joining the RCH, John managed Monash Medical Centre, was Chief Executive of the Transport Accident Commission and held various senior management roles at General Motors Holden.

John has a double major in Economics and a Graduate Diploma in Industrial Relations, and he is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  

John is the President of Children's Healthcare Australasia and a Board Director for The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Ltd and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. John was also previously the President of the Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association.

Jane Miller

Chief Operating Officer

BAppSc (Speech Path), GradDipNeuro, MHlthMgmt, GAICD

Jane Miller is Chief Operating Officer (COO) at The Royal Children’s Hospital, with overall responsibility for clinical operations, and the Hospital Incident Commander during emergency codes.

Jane has worked in clinical and hospital management roles for more than 30 years at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Monash Health and The Royal Children’s Hospital.

Jane has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology), a Graduate Diploma in Neurosciences, and a Master of Health Management, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Jane is a Non-Executive Director of YSAS, a not-for-profit agency that enables young people experiencing serious disadvantage to access the resources and support they require to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. 

  

Filomena Ciavarella

Executive Director Strategy, Quality and Improvement

BAppSc (Med Rad)(Hons) , GradDipMgt, DipProjMgt

Filomena Ciavarella is the Executive Director Strategy, Quality and Improvement at The Royal Children’s Hospital, with responsibility for strategy and improvement, risk and information management (incorporating health information services and decision support), the RCH Education Institute, Centre for Child and Community Health and Centre for Adolescent Health

In this role, Filomena partners with staff on strategic planning, quality and improvement initiatives that help support the delivery of Great Care.

With a clinical background in Nuclear Medicine, Filomena has more than 20 years’ experience in the public health sector, and has worked in senior quality, safety, improvement and risk management roles in both adult and specialty health services, including Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Monash Health, Austin Health and more recently at Mercy Health.

Filomena has been a past recipient of a Premiers Healthcare Award for the work she led at Austin Health to reduce staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias.

A/Prof Tom Connell

Chief of Medicine

MB BAO BCH B Med Science MRCPI FRACP PhD

A/Prof Tom Connell is the Chief of Medicine at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH). Originally from Dublin Ireland, he graduated from University College Dublin in 1996, received Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (Paediatrics and Child Health) in 1999 and came to the RCH Melbourne in 2003.  He subsequently completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases, prior to moving to Cape Town to complete field work for his PhD that he obtained in 2011 from The University of Melbourne.

Tom received a Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) career development award from 2013 - 2016 and is co-lead of the clinical paediatrics research group that sits within the Infection Immunity theme within the MCRI. Tom is also an honorary Principal Fellow within The University of Melbourne, Department of Paediatrics. He has published in excess of 80 peer reviewed manuscripts and has mentored and taught many trainees who now have successful careers at the RCH and other major national and international hospitals.

In 2014, Tom was appointed Director of General Medicine at the RCH, where he provided leadership to almost 120 staff and gained awards for quality improvement in General Medicine and Specialist Clinics. Tom commenced as Chief of Medicine in October 2018.

Tom was the 2016 recipient of the RCH Chairman’s Medal, recognising his contribution to improving patient flow, care for complex patients, medical education, clinical research and workplace culture in his department.  

 

Alison Errey

Executive Director Communications

GradDipPublicAdmin, MJour

Alison Errey was appointed to the role of Executive Director Communications at The Royal Children’s Hospital in April 2017, with responsibility for Corporate Communications, the RCH National Child Health Poll, Family and Volunteer Services, Archives, Switchboard, International Patients and the RCH Creative Studio. In this role Alison oversees all facets of brand and reputation management, media relations, digital strategy, and government and partner relationships.

For more than 25 years Alison has led communications, corporate affairs and business transformation programs for some of the country's largest and most complex organisations. She led the creation of a $20 million community foundation and negotiated a national-first partnership with the Australian Human Rights Commission to champion workforce reform for mature Australians.

With a background in news journalism, Alison has had an extensive career in media and issues management in the NSW public sector across the police, education and health portfolios, and led the change communications strategy for a multi-million dollar IT platform integration in the financial services sector. Acknowledged with industry awards for journalism and workforce engagement, Alison has complemented her career with a number of Board appointments in children's welfare and sports administration. 

Maria Flynn

Executive Director Nursing and Allied Health and Chief Nursing Officer

RN (Registered Nurse), RM (Registered Midwife - UK), Dip HEM, BA (Hons) – HealthCare Studies, MSc – HealthCare Management, Q Fellow (UK)

Maria Flynn joined The Royal Children’s Hospital in July 2018 as the Executive Director Nursing and Allied Health and Chief Nursing Officer, with responsibility for facilitating research, innovation and education, quality and safety improvement, advocating for professional and evidenced-based practice and clinical standards and enhancing recruitment, retention, training, development and succession planning.

Maria is a registered nurse and midwife with over 30 years’ experience of the National Health Service in the UK and has a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Management. She has held leadership roles in nursing, midwifery and allied health and worked in general and commissioning management and as a quality performance manager and accreditor. She has led a multitude of services within acute, primary care, mental health and ambulance services.

As part of the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE) Exchange Maria worked in Sweden and Austria to study European methods for sharing and learning from clinical incident management. Before commencing at the RCH, Maria commenced a Clinical Doctorate Research Fellowship (PhD), using Quality Improvement Science methodologies to enhance the programme Fundamental Care in Hospitals. She is delighted to continue pursuing her dream of contributing to healthcare in Australia. 

Jon Marcard

Chief Financial Officer

B.Ec, FCA, MAICD

Jon Marcard is the Chief Financial Officer at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne with responsibility for the overall Finance function. Jon also has responsibility for Payroll, Procurement & Supply, Support Services and Information and Communication Technology.

Jon has more than 25 years’ financial experience across a diverse range of sectors including financial services, insurance and consulting. Prior to commencing in his current role, Jon worked at AustralianSuper.

Jon has a Bachelor of Economics, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Jon also sits on the Finance & Audit Committee of Australian Volunteers International. 

Ed Oakley

Chief of Critical Care

MBBS FACEM

Associate Professor Ed Oakley was appointed Chief of Critical Care at the Royal Children’s Hospital in 2016, after working as the Director of Emergency Medicine for three years.

Ed trained in emergency medicine in Melbourne at Austin Health and The Royal Children’s Hospital. He gained fellowship of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) in 1998 and became a senior staff member in the Emergency Department of The Royal Children’s Hospital that same year. Ed continued in this role until 2008 when he moved to Monash Health as the Director of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, before returning to The Royal Children’s Hospital in 2012

Ed has been an Honorary Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) since 2002. Ed is an active researcher in clinical emergency medicine and is the lead researcher for the Paediatric Emergency Medicine Centre of Research Excellence housed at the MCRI. 

Mike O’Brien

Chief of Surgery

PhD, FRCSI(Paed), FRACS(Paed)

Mike O’Brien was appointed Chief of Surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital in 2013.

Born and raised in West Cork in Ireland, Mike went to medical school at University College Cork, graduating in 1989.  He completed his adult general surgical training in Cork before undertaking PhD research.

Moving to the UK to train in Paediatric Surgery, Mike worked at Great Ormond Street and Hammersmith Hospitals in London, University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, Bristol Children’s Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Mike also spent a year in Melbourne at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), before returning to the UK where he worked as a Consultant Paediatric Urologist in Birmingham.

Mike returned to the Royal Children’s Hospital as a Consultant Paediatric Urologist in 2005 and has been Head of Department of Urology since 2009, and Chief of Surgery since 2013.

As well as his clinical role with a specific interest in genital anomalies and functional bladder issues, Mike has sat on the hospital research ethics committee for more than 10 years. He is also an active educator and the Medical Ambassador to the Clown Doctors. 

Associate Professor Matt Sabin

Executive Director Medical Services and Clinical Governance and Chief Medical Officer

MRCPCH (UK), FRACP, PhD

Associate Professor Matt Sabin is the Executive Director Medical Services and Clinical Governance and Chief Medical Officer at The Royal Children’s Hospital. Having trained at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London (UK) and becoming a member of the UK Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in 2000, he began specialist training in paediatric endocrinology and diabetes and completed a PhD in the area of childhood obesity and diabetes. Matt moved to The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne in 2006, became a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2009, Director of Endocrinology & Diabetes in 2015, and Chief of Medicine in 2016

Matt is also an Honorary Principal Fellow of the University of Melbourne and a Senior Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. He has made significant contributions to the Melbourne Children’s Campus in the areas of clinical service, research and education. He established The RCH Weight Management Service, the largest specialist service for obese children in Australasia, and has published over 100 clinical research and basic science papers - many in leading international journals.

Matt is the current Deputy Editor of the journal ‘Clinical Obesity’, and has been an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Deputy Director of the Human Research Ethics Committee at The Royal Children’s Hospital and a Council Member of the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG). 

Simone Zelencich

Executive Director People and Culture

GradDipAdmin, MEd, MBA, GAICD

Simone Zelencich is the Executive Director People and Culture at The Royal Children’s Hospital, with responsibility for Workplace Health and Safety, Organisational Development and Workforce Capability, Human Resources, Library Services, Wadja (Aboriginal) Family Place and the Early Learning Centre.

Simone has worked in management roles for more than 25 years spanning both private and public sectors including manufacturing, private education, universities, emergency services and the public health sector.

Simone has a Graduate Diploma in Administration, a Master of Education (Research), a Master of Business Administration which included an academic award for excellence, is a certified PROSCI change practitioner, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Simone was the recipient of the 2011 ‘New RCH award’ for her leadership and management of key change initiatives having an organisational wide impact and she continues to lead employee engagement, culture and workforce development programs and initiatives. Simone is passionate about improving processes and systems that support a strong employment brand and experience, ensuring that the organisation can deliver on its promises and values.