IPAA SA’s On the Couch sessions are a series of informal interviews with key leaders of the public sector. In their current roles, these leaders are seen as having a high degree of responsibility and influence over the future of the public sector and the people who work within it.

These interviews are aimed at looking at the person behind the role and focus on their interests, influences, leadership styles, career highlights, journey, aspirations, values and what they see as their priorities in their current role and insights for the future.

Our guest for this event was Dr Christopher McGowan, Chief Executive, SA Health and during this session we heard from Dr McGowan on some of the highlights of his career and his plans for hs current role.

Christopher was interviewed by Nathan Schlesinger, Partner, PwC with the proceedings being MC’d by Jamie Briggs, Partner, PwC.

Learn about our speakers

Dr Chris McGowan

Chief Executive
Department for Health and Wellbeing

Dr Chris McGowan BBus MApplSci PhD is the Chief Executive of the South Australian Department for Health and Wellbeing. Chris is responsible to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing for the administration of the South Australian health system. This includes being the direct employer of over 40,000 staff and managing a budget of $6.4 Billion. Chris actively participates in the National Health strategic agenda and is Chair of the Health Services Principle Committee of the Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Committee and a Board Member of the Australian Digital Health Authority (appointed by Federal Minister for Health, Hon Greg Hunt). Under Chris’s leadership, the Department of Health and Wellbeing is actively engaged in disrupting and rebalancing the state health system to avoid many of the unnecessary hospital presentations. He has implemented four pilot hospital avoidance programs and will crystalize the best of these to create a “industrial’ scale virtual hospital later in 2020. This program is designed to not only provide better, safer, more convenient care but is estimated to save approximately $50m pa and future proof the existing SA hospital infrastructure.

Event brought to you by

PwC

Date
20 November 2018

Location
PwC, 11/70 Franklin Street, Adelaide SA 5000