An awards program is only as good as its judges, and the judges for this year are an impressive bunch. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
First up is Jennene Buckley. Ms Buckley has a wealth of experience as a Chief Executive Officer and Board Director in the health and aged care industry. Her track record of success includes leading Feros Care for more than 20 years, where she grew the organisation from a 95-client aged care provider to a 60,000+ client People Care company. Ms Buckley’s focus on fostering a culture of innovation and creating environments where people could live their best lives helped her win international awards for service innovation, culture, and digital transformation in the aged care industry.
Ms Buckley’s passion for playing a bigger role in shaping the future of aged care led her to establish her own consulting company, Enkindle Consulting, which supports organisations with strategic planning and advisory, transformation and innovation, stakeholder engagement and change management, operational reviews, and market entry advisory and planning. She is committed to creating a world-class aged care system that older people deserve, and she works with organisations, people, and teams who share her vision.
Next is Professor Laurie Buys, a Social Gerontologist who is a Professor of Healthy Ageing at the Australian Catholic University in the Faculty of Health Sciences. She was also the Foundation Director of Senior Living Innovation at QUT, where she collaborated with industry researchers to identify innovative approaches to designing future housing, products, and services that optimise the lifestyles of ageing Australians. Professor Buys’ research explores the understanding of, and accountability for, the real effects felt by people resulting from changes in their physical, social, and cultural life.
Sean Rooney is another notable judge, with a wealth of experience as the former CEO of the aged care industry association Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) and as a current Non-Executive Director of an aged care service. His leadership at LASA led to innovation initiatives in the sector through LASA’s innovAGEING program and acknowledged leading practice in aged care services through LASA’s national awards programs. Perhaps not as well known is Mr Rooney’s work in leading sustainability and climate change action in the public and community sectors. He will be playing a lead role in judging the Sustainability category of this year’s awards.
Kaye Fallick, the Founder/CEO of Staying Connected, brings her experience publishing for baby boomers to the table. Having founded her own publishing house, YourLifeChoices, Kaye grew her subscriber base from 8,000 to over 225,000 over a 20-year period. She consults with a variety of brands on how to engage with baby boomers and provides commentary to various media on what matters most to this unique demographic and on the topic of retirement planning. Ms Fallick is also a published author with two best-selling books on negotiating life stage change.
Next, we have Professor Denise Jepsen, an organisational psychologist and academic at Macquarie University where she is Chair of the Macquarie Ageing and Aged Care Researchers Network. Prof Jepsen’s research focuses on career orientations, individuals’ career perceptions, strategic organisational behaviour and human resources issues. She has a particular interest in the attraction, retention, and careers of home and residential aged-care employees. Prior to academia, Prof Jepsen operated a consulting business partnering with several multinational firms. An international award-winning author and presenter, Prof Jepsen brings many years in the aged care sector and sound knowledge of culture and people drivers for change and success coupled with a large forward-thinking peer network from across the globe.
Last but certainly not least is Reuben Jacob the Interim CEO of Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA), a not-for-profit organisation aimed at improving the aged care sector through innovation. With experience in executive management, stakeholder engagement, and research, Mr Jacob works closely with ARIIA’s staff, board, partners, and stakeholders to achieve its mission. ARIIA has established a Knowledge and Implementation Hub, an Innovator Training Program, and a Research Grants Program to fund specific projects in areas such as dementia, mental health, rehabilitation, and social isolation. ARIIA has 73 partners, including research institutions, service providers, and peak bodies. Flinders University was selected to operate ARIIA, which will operate as an independent organisation with a board of directors that includes aged care workforce representatives.
Together, these judges bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the awards program, and their expertise will undoubtedly ensure that the most deserving nominees come out on top.
Thanks to the below companies who have shown their support for the awards through a sponsorship…
