Brightwater chief appointed

Public servant Catherine Stoddart has been named as Brightwater Care Group’s new boss, replacing outgoing chief executive Jennifer Lawrence.

Most recently, Ms Stoddart was the deputy director general at the Department of Communities in WA and was previously chief executive at Northern Territory Health.

She has also worked in England as the deputy chief nurse and deputy chief executive at the Oxford University Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust.

Ms Stoddart has been recognised for her work in healthcare, winning the 2011 Telstra Western Australia Business Woman of the Year for strategies she put in place to build stronger nursing career paths, as well as the development of Aboriginal employment programmes across the Department of Health.

In September 2013, she received the Australian Public Service Medal in recognition of her contribution to health and innovative global community health volunteering programmes.

Ms Stoddart said her experience leading complex health and human services and empathy would make her a good fit at Brightwater.

Brightwater Care Group chair David Craig said Ms Stoddart had been selected after an extensive search.

Mr Craig also thanked outgoing chief executive Jennifer Lawrence for her 19 years of service at Brightwater, and six years as chief executive, where she played a role in the growth and success of the organisation.

Brightwater Care Group is the ninth largest aged care provider, according to Business News Data & Insights, with 750 beds in Western Australia.

The organisation also provides disability and retirement living services and has two commercial services arms: catering and linen.