Celebrating Karen Roach’s Leadership Legacy

01 Jun 2026

HardyGroup has just formally farewelled one of our amazing Learning Set facilitators, Karen Roach.  

Karen and I met 25 years ago when I spoke to her about joining a CEO Set, which she did. She was recently reflecting on her experience as a Set member and telling us about the specific advice and messages she got from her peers in that Set and how they were guiding principles for her throughout her career. As she said she truly valued being able to take apart complex problems that she had to confront with a group of peers in a safe and highly confidential Set environment. Karen held CEO roles in Australia and New Zealand. She was a leader with gravitas. She was a role model for me. I may never have mentioned that to her but I would seek advice about systems and leaders, and, strategies from her.

Karen lived and worked by a code – integrity, honesty, courage, respect, loyalty, compassion. She was an outstanding role model for staff – tough and direct when the truth had to be told, sensitive and supportive when needed, a setter of high standards who challenged herself and others to be their best.

Karen trained as a nurse and was a passionate supporter of nurses developing their skills and growing their careers. Nursing was the beginning but as Karen transitioned into management and leadership roles she was a source of sage advice and counsel for all categories and levels of people in the Health system. They could not have had a better mentor and adviser.

When she left Queensland Health, HardyGroup immediately asked her if she was interested in being a Learning Set facilitator. We could not have got a better facilitator. So many Set members talk even now about her skill in challenging, guiding, supporting them in and between Set meetings. She could constructively prod, provoke and support people in questioning the outcomes they sought for problems that kept them awake at night, and, the leadership required of them in dealing with problems. Set members would walk away from Set meetings with a strategy to implement then report back to the Set on how it went. She led Set members to accept responsibility and accountability for change. She was a Facilitator Extraordinaire and an unchallenged mentor!!

Karen also took on short term consulting assignments in a number of States in Australia because she was in demand. The fact that HardyGroup would regularly get requests for Karen to do reviews or act as a CEO or Administrator to hold an organisation together whilst  a replacement was found speaks volumes as to the respect she commanded.  

As owners of HardyGroup, Jean Fagan and I are proud to call Karen a friend. In our world she belongs on our select Hall of Fame Board!!

Kevin Hardy.