Case Studies

Sustained Executive Talent Partnership with Monash Health

Building Healthcare Leadership Excellence Through 13 Years of Strategic Partnership

The Brief

As Victoria’s largest public health service, Monash Health required a trusted partner to navigate the complex landscape of senior People & Culture recruitment. Operating in a highly regulated environment where people leadership directly impacts both clinical and operational outcomes, they needed an executive search firm that understood the unique demands of public healthcare systems and could consistently deliver exceptional talent across multiple leadership transitions.

The Challenge

Monash Health faced several interconnected challenges in building their senior People & Culture capability:

Sectoral Complexity: Recruiting leaders capable of navigating industrial complexity within a dynamic, healthcare-led environment.
Leadership Continuity: Managing multiple leadership transitions whilst maintaining operational excellence.
Cultural Alignment: Ensuring new appointees could adapt to Monash Health’s evolving needs and unique organisational culture.
Talent Scarcity: Securing high-calibre professionals in a competitive market for healthcare leadership talent.
Regulatory Navigation: Finding leaders who could thrive within public sector constraints and governance frameworks.

Our Approach

Deep Partnership Foundation: Our 13-year collaboration began with a critical mandate from the Chief People Officer to recruit a new Head of People & Culture, Operations. This initial success established the foundation for an enduring partnership built on trust, cultural understanding, and consistent delivery.
Sustained Leadership Excellence: Following the departure of the original appointee after five successful years, Monash Health re-engaged Galvin-Rowley Executive on three subsequent occasions to lead the search for each successor to the Head of P&C Operations role. Our approach ensured seamless transitions whilst maintaining operational continuity.
Comprehensive Talent Solutions: Beyond the core Head of P&C Operations appointments, we expanded our partnership to encompass a broader range of senior roles, including Group Director People Operations (later promoted to Chief People Officer), Senior Manager People & Culture, Senior HR Business Partners, and Board Secretary.
Values-Driven Community Impact: Demonstrating our commitment to purpose-driven work, we provided pro bono recruitment support to Ronald McDonald House (affiliated with Monash Health), reinforcing our dedication to community impact beyond commercial mandates.

The Outcome

Over 13 years, Galvin-Rowley Executive has successfully placed multiple senior People & Culture leaders at Monash Health, including:

Head of People & Culture, Operations (four successive appointments)
Group Director, People Operations (later promoted to Chief People Officer)
Senior Manager, People & Culture
Senior HR Business Partners
Board Secretary

Each appointment demonstrated our ability to secure high-calibre professionals who successfully adapted to Monash Health’s evolving needs, contributing to the organisation’s continued excellence in healthcare delivery.

Healthcare Leadership Excellence

This case study demonstrates Galvin-Rowley Executive’s deep expertise in healthcare leadership recruitment, particularly within complex public health systems. Our understanding of the unique challenges facing healthcare organisations—from regulatory compliance to workforce management—enables us to identify leaders who can thrive in these demanding environments.

With over three decades of experience, we recognise that healthcare leadership requires a unique blend of operational excellence, compassionate leadership, and strategic vision to drive both clinical outcomes and organisational success.

Sustained Executive Talent Partnership with Monash Health

Key Takeaways

• Long-term partnerships deliver superior outcomes through deep cultural understanding and sustained trust

• Healthcare leadership requires specialised expertise in navigating complex regulatory and operational environments

• Succession planning benefits from consistent partnership with a trusted search advisor who understands organisational evolution

• Cultural alignment is critical in healthcare environments where leadership decisions directly impact patient care

• Pro bono community contributions demonstrate genuine commitment to purpose-driven recruitment beyond commercial success

FAQs

How does Galvin-Rowley Executive maintain consistency across multiple leadership transitions?

Galvin-Rowley Executive builds comprehensive organisational knowledge over time, creating detailed cultural profiles and succession frameworks that inform each search. Our long-term partnership approach means we understand not just current needs, but how organisations evolve, ensuring each new appointment builds upon previous successes whilst bringing fresh perspectives.

What makes healthcare leadership recruitment different from other sectors?

Healthcare leadership requires candidates who can balance clinical excellence with operational efficiency, navigate complex regulatory frameworks, and lead diverse professional teams under high-pressure situations. Galvin-Rowley Executive’s healthcare expertise enables us to assess these unique competencies whilst ensuring cultural alignment with mission-driven organisations focused on patient outcomes.

How does Galvin-Rowley Executive support organisations through extended partnerships?

Our approach transforms from transactional recruitment to strategic talent advisory. We become trusted partners who understand organisational DNA, anticipate future needs, and provide counsel on leadership development and succession planning. This deep relationship enables us to deliver consistently exceptional outcomes across multiple engagements.

What Our Clients Say

I first met Jennifer as a candidate. Having touched most of the major search firms as a candidate for executive roles and experienced first-hand their generally low level of candidate care, I have had no hesitation in recommending Jennifer to colleagues who are searching for a new job, or in using her myself as a preferred provider when in need of HR staff.

Mike Johnson

Former HR Director, SKILLED Group

Jen has really invested in understanding our culture and what attributes to look for to ensure a seamless team-fit. In addition, her definition of quality and high-calibre is the same as ours.
That makes life so much easier, and means we are consistently forced to make tough choices at the end of a relatively short recruitment period.
What else could we ask? Highly professional, and a calmly positive influence on us all.

Russell Parker

CEO, Kikki.K
Former CEO, Hallmark International

Galvin-Rowley Executive is a boutique executive placement agency that delivers above and beyond service with integrity to its clients.
The Director, Jennifer Galvin-Rowley, takes the time to understand her clients’ needs and then searches through her amazing network of contacts to find the right people for the right jobs.
Whilst I was CEO of BeyondBlue, Jennifer and her team were a delight to work with and I wouldn’t go anywhere else if I was looking for a key executive.

Dawn O’Neil, AM

Former CEO, BeyondBlue

For nine months we’d searched in vain for a HSE Manager. This was a difficult project: candidates were scarce, our standards were high, and the role was in the country.
When Jen was referred to us, she stood above the other recruiters for three reasons: she dealt in specialist OH&S Managers; she knew how to fill rural roles; and she didn’t advertise—she searched.
Jen approached the task with imagination. Her ideas were unusual, yet so logical. She handled candidates with promptness and respect, and we swiftly found and hired a great fit. I therefore suggest you let Jen recruit your next manager.

Jim Cooper

CEO, Port of Portland

Over the past decade I have engaged Jenny on a number of occasions to source talent across a variety of roles, specifically in HR. She is excellent in her client management as well as her candidate care.
She is responsive to the more challenging assignments and creates a realistic expectation for both the client and her deliverables. Given the service she has provided each time, I have consistently sought her out as a provider and truly value the relationship.