Our People
The Board consists of three members (the Commissioners) nominated by the Minister of Health and Wellbeing and appointed by the Governor.
The HSCG Act requires that one of the Commissioners appointed must have legal expertise and experience that is deemed to be suitable by the Minister and two must have expertise in the area of trusts or financial management, or other expertise, knowledge or experience deemed suitable by the Minister.
The Commissioners are currently:
Chairman – Carolyn Mitchell
Carolyn is an experienced non-executive director. In a former life Carolyn was a commercial lawyer specialising in the areas of commercial advice, insolvency and trade practices for over 25 years. Legal practice gave her the ability to identify major issues of governance, risk management and legal compliance and to then set about improving those areas.
Carolyn is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Directors.
Since leaving legal practice Carolyn has built a substantial portfolio of non-executive director roles, including currently holding the Chair role for Netball SA, Tonkin Consulting, The CanDo Group and Haighs Chocolates.
Commissioner – Virginia Deegan
Since April 2008, Virginia Deegan has been serving as the Executive Director, Infrastructure at the University of Adelaide responsible for optimising the University’s estate to ensure investments are prioritised to align with the University’s strategic directions and facilities managed to ensure business continuity.
She is responsible for directing the master planning and development of the University’s infrastructure needs across all campuses, ensuring that the facilities meet strategic goals. Notable projects under her leadership include the $246 million Adelaide Health & Medical Sciences Building, the Braggs, Hub Central and the Vet School complex. She is currently heavily engaged in merger-related activities.
Before her current role, Virginia served as the General Manager at Royal Adelaide Hospital from January 2005 to March 2008, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Hampstead Rehab Centre, and St Margaret’s Rehab Centre, overseeing the delivery of both clinical and non-clinical services.
Virginia has a Bachelor and Graduate Diploma in Accountancy and is a Certified Practising Accountant. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has over 20 years of board experience including Super SA and the State Procurement Board and currently the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) and the North Eastern Community Hospital Board.
Commissioner – Keith McNeil
Professor Keith McNeil is an internationally recognised respiratory physician trained in heart and lung transplantation at the world-renowned Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, UK. Keith established the Queensland Lung Transplant Service at The Prince Charles Hospital in 1996, and soon thereafter returned to Papworth where he was Lead Physician for the heart and lung transplant program. From there, Keith has occupied a vast array of positions in both senior clinical and senior administrative roles, including as CEO of tertiary hospital and health services (RBWH and Metro North HHS in Brisbane, and Cambridge University Hospitals in the UK), Head of IT and CCIO in the NHS, and Deputy Director General, CMO and CCIO in Queensland.
Keith currently works in the South Australian health system as the Commissioner for Excellence and Innovation in Health.
Keith presents across various sectors as a valued contributor to clinical and patient safety benefits associated with technology and digital transformation in the healthcare setting. His vision is to align research, precision medicine, and the data and information agenda with health system reform and transformation.
Staff
A full time Executive Officer, Chris Peirce, and two part time administrators assist the Board.
