Case Studies

Mayfield Childcare Limited

Case Study: Strengthening Board and Executive Capability for Growth

Mayfield Childcare Limited is an ASX-listed early education provider operating 39 centres across Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. The organisation delivers care to more than 3,000 families and employs over 1,000 staff.

As Mayfield continued to grow, the organisation required a step-change in both Board capability and executive leadership. Increased governance expectations as a listed entity, combined with operational scale and future growth ambitions, created the need for leaders who could support sustainable performance.

Galvin-Rowley Executive was engaged to support a critical phase of organisational evolution, spanning independent Non-Executive Director appointments and the appointment of a Head of People and Engagement.

Mayfield Childcare Limited

Case Study: Strengthening Board and Executive Capability for Growth

The Challenge

Mayfield required leadership capability across both governance and operations.

At Board level, the organisation needed independent Non-Executive Directors who could strengthen governance, bring diverse expertise and support the responsibilities of an ASX-listed company. The appointments needed to contribute not only technical capability, but also judgement, strategic perspective and cultural alignment.

At executive level, Mayfield required a Head of People and Engagement to build organisational capability, support culture and strengthen people systems across a growing multi-site workforce.

The brief required Galvin-Rowley Executive to balance governance experience, commercial acumen, people leadership and sector sensitivity. It also required careful alignment between the Chair, CEO and broader organisational strategy.

Our Solution

Galvin-Rowley Executive delivered an integrated search strategy across Board and executive appointments.

The process began with a diagnostic review of Board composition, capability gaps and future requirements. This helped clarify the expertise required to support Mayfield’s growth, governance obligations and strategic direction.

Galvin-Rowley Executive then conducted a targeted search for high-calibre Non-Executive Director candidates, supported by a compelling market proposition that reflected Mayfield’s purpose, growth trajectory and listed-company environment.

The assessment process was structured and rigorous, with consideration given to governance capability, cultural fit, strategic contribution and the complementary value each candidate would bring to the Board.

In parallel, Galvin-Rowley Executive delivered an executive search for the Head of People and Engagement. This included market mapping, stakeholder alignment and assessment of candidates with the capability to support organisational transformation, workforce strategy and scalable people systems.

Throughout the engagement, Galvin-Rowley Executive operated as a trusted advisor to the Chair and CEO, maintaining alignment at each stage of the process.

The Impact

Galvin-Rowley Executive successfully supported Mayfield in appointing three independent Non-Executive Directors and a transformational Head of People and Engagement.

The Board appointments strengthened governance, diversity and strategic capability, while providing a complementary mix of expertise aligned to Mayfield’s future requirements.

The Head of People and Engagement appointment strengthened Mayfield’s executive capability across culture, engagement, workforce strategy, HR operations, compliance and leadership effectiveness.

Collectively, the engagement enhanced alignment between the Board, CEO and organisational strategy, positioning Mayfield to navigate growth, complexity and regulatory expectations as an ASX-listed organisation.

Key Placements

Galvin-Rowley Executive supported four important appointments across Mayfield’s Board and executive leadership.

Roseanne Healy, Non-Executive Director: an experienced director across listed, government and private organisations, bringing expertise in governance, ESG and complex stakeholder environments
Greg Johnson, Non-Executive Director: an experienced ASX Chair and Non-Executive Director with deep expertise in funds management, capital markets and institutional relationships
Heidi Kuglin Beck, Non-Executive Director: a strategic people, transformation and governance leader with board and C-suite experience, including Chief People Officer roles
Jeannette Lang, Head of People and Engagement: a senior HR executive with experience across organisational transformation, workforce strategy and executive partnering

Together, these appointments strengthened Mayfield’s capability across governance, capital markets, transformation, people strategy and organisational leadership.

Mayfield Childcare’s engagement with Galvin-Rowley Executive demonstrates the value of an integrated approach to Board and executive search.

By supporting capability at both governance and operational leadership levels, Galvin-Rowley Executive helped Mayfield strengthen the leadership foundations required for sustainable growth, improve organisational performance and long-term impact.

What Our Clients Say

Jennifer’s management of the candidate side of searches is exemplary. Too often, candidates are left wondering where we are in the process, what’s next, and, without good advice, going into interviews. Jennifer and her team are the opposite of this. I felt informed about the process and given background on the hiring company and its executives, enabling me to move confidently into interviews. Jennifers always delivered on the promised timing of updates. Her attention to detail on the client side of the recruitment is precise and focused. It has been a pleasure to work with Jennifer, and I can highly recommend her services.

Allison Smith

Board Chair, Dandenong Market

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

Former CEO, Port of Portland
Former Managing Director and CEO, Terragen Holdings Limited
Chair Audit & Risk Management Committee and Non-Executive Director, Dandenong Market
CEO, Continence Health Australia