The leading network of Health, Human Service and Public Sector Leaders.
Our Executive Search & Recruitment network is unrivalled, and by engaging HG we connect our clients to the best talent from around the world. As the competition for talent intensifies, domestically and globally, our clients trust in our ability to secure a successful and timely appointment, the first time, every time.
Executive Search & Recruitment Services
Board Chair and Director Appointments
As Boards navigate an increasingly complex operating and regulatory environment so too is the need to elevate and refresh boardroom capabilities. HG’s extensive track record in governance appointments includes the formation of inaugural Boards in response to major government reforms at scale at a whole of system level and at a multi-district level. We are also expert in supporting the timely refresh of existing Boards.
Chief Executive and C-Suite Appointments
With our extensive and current networks, built up over decades, and team of Principal Search Consultants from the sectors we serve, HG is the leading trans-Tasman agency for Chief Executive and C-Suite appointments. This also includes all key enabling services such as IT, Digital, Finance, Legal, People & Culture and more. Our tailored approach ensure a successful and sustained appointment every time.
Management Appointments
Our networks are not only extensive, they are also very deep and this gives great confidence to our clients we can know who tomorrow’s future executives are today. By engaging HG for management level appointments, we deliver a field of candidates already proven at a team leader, management or director level and who exhibit the capabilities to also aide your organisation in future succession planning.
Clinical and Medical Appointments
Sourcing and attracting top talent for leadership positions within clinical and medical specialties requires deep expertise and never more so then now given global workforces shortages in healthcare. To ensure your success HG adopts a team approach that includes specialist Principal Consultants and Senior Researchers who will work tirelessly and creatively on your behalf to achieve the result you need.
Public Sector Leadership Appointments
Public sector appointments at a Chief Executive and C-Suite level can and do attract significant political, stakeholder and media scrutiny and navigating that requires Search agencies to have a unique set of capabilities. HG is a trusted and proven partner to government for the most senior leadership appointments including Environment, Revenue, Ethnic Communities, Disability, Health, Internal Affairs and to Royal Commissions of Inquiry.
Diagnostics
HG is invested in the long term success of your organisation and has built a suite of diagnostic capabilities to support the ambition of executive leadership that is practical and grounded in real time, real world environments. These diagnostic options and tools mean you are working with evidence and reflective practice.
HG’s Panel Partnerships
HG is a trusted advisor and provider of permanent and interim recruitment solutions for clients across Australia and New Zealand. In circumstances which require it, HG can also be your partner of choice by engaging us through the following government panels.
WA Country Health Service Panel
SA Recruitment Agency Services Panel
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Panel
Executive Recruitment Panel
Central Australia Health Service Panel
All of Government Talent Acquisition Services (TAS) contract.
NSW Government Talent Acquisition Scheme
LGA Procurement – Labor hire and recruitment Services
Recruitment and Immigration Agency Panel Primary Agency – Canberra Health Services
Local Buy Pre-qualified Supplier
The Management Advisory Services (MAS) Panel
Industries we serve
Public Health
Private Health
Primary & Community Care
Aged Care
Disability Services
Public Sector
Meet our Principal Consultants
HG’s Principal Search Consultants have held Chief and Senior Executive roles within the industries we serve. Their extensive leadership profiles enable them to swiftly establish trust and rapport with both clients and candidates, clearly understand the roles they have been asked to recruit to and importantly, the organisational and environmental context in which they exist.
Our evidenced based search methodology, extensive networks and talented team have led to the successful placement of 4,000+ executives.
Lynette Taylor
Executive Director, Search & Recruitment
A senior executive leader with experience in private and public sectors across health, logistics and human resource sectors. With nearly two decades of experience as a senior executive in a multinational company, Lynette brings a comprehensive global and commercial perspective to her role, focusing on the attraction, retention, and development of executive-level candidates.
Paul Ingle
Chief Executive Officer
Paul Ingle is the Chief Executive Officer of HG. In addition to his leadership responsibilities, he conducts senior executive and board recruitment assignments and facilitates HG’s Executive Learning Sets. Paul has been a Chief Executive in both the public and private sector for over 20 years, having worked in New Zealand, the UK and Australia. He brings a wealth of experience in supporting organisational leadership, reform, employee wellbeing, and cultural transformation.
Christine Leahy
Executive Director Leadership and Learning
Christine Leahy is a seasoned executive Human Resources specialist with over 25 years of experience in prestigious national and international corporations. Armed with a Bachelor of Commerce, she has played pivotal roles in HR, aiding companies in recruiting and retaining top-tier talent, thereby enhancing organizational culture and business performance. In addition to her leadership responsibilities, Christine conducts senior executive recruitment assignments and facilitates HG’s Executive Learning Sets.
Sarah Buckler
State Manager, Queensland
Sarah Buckler has an extensive background and in-depth understanding of the public sector in Australia and New Zealand. She has over twenty-five years of experience in executive leadership roles and appointments to advisory and governing boards across public, private and quasi-government boards and authorities. Sarah is a recipient of the Australia Day Honours and was awarded the Public Service Medal for her contributions to regional development, investment attraction, public sector administration, leadership, and governance.
David Price
National Manager, New Zealand
David Price is the National Manager of HG New Zealand. He is an internationally experienced senior leader and healthcare innovator known for pioneering system design, co-design, and patient experience reform across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.
Liz Hlipala
Principal Search Consultant
Liz Hlipala has an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the healthcare sector in Australia today. She brings more than three decades of experience working in the healthcare sector at senior executive levels to any consultancy she undertakes. Liz has participated as an Executive Director of the governing boards and senior leadership teams of large health networks and the department of health in South Australia, given her an understanding of these complex organisations’ leadership and performance requirements.
Dr Karen Bridgewater
Senior Researcher
Karen is an academic researcher with experience investigating, designing, recruiting, conducting and reporting. Through her career, Karen has not only finely honed her academic and population-relevant research skills, but also forged relationships in the public and private health sectors, multiple universities, and non-government organisations. Consequently, Karen brings to HardyGroup a unique combination of established research excellence, and industry-relevant, highly valuable interpersonal relationship insights and skills.
Janine Hammat
Principal Search Consultant
Janine is a versatile senior human resources executive with many years’ experience at the executive level in both the public and private sectors. She is a proactive leader of people strategy and cultural alignment in diverse and complex organisations. Her knowledge across all facets of human resources and her ability to partner with other senior executives and staff, and to translate organisational strategy into pragmatic and operable outcomes, enables her to deliver quality results.
Pete Carter
Principal Search Consultant
Pete Carter has over 30 years of experience in health and social service leadership in New Zealand and Australia, much of that in senior roles within the public sector.
Pete has also spent many years on Boards of both Non-Government and Government organisations and has been actively involved consulting across the sector, particularly around leadership and governance.
Talk to a Consultant
Recruitment
Opportunities for You
Scroll through our jobs board below to find your next career defining opportunity.
Recent Key Appointments
Organisations trust HardyGroup
to find great talent to deliver on their mission.
Lisa Poon
Executive Director, Finance and Business Services | Central Adelaide Local Health Network
Jan Adele Hotz
Executive Director, Bundaberg & Rurals | Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service.
Michelle Murray
Director – Māori Relations | New Zealand Health Group.
Darren Mitchell
Chief Executive | Ara Institute of Canterbury.
Lisa Poon
Executive Director, Finance and Business Services | Central Adelaide Local Health Network
HG is delighted to announce the appointment of Lisa Poon to the position of Executive Director, Finance and Business Services at Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN).
Lisa is an accomplished public health finance executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience across finance, operations, risk, project management and technology within major metropolitan health services. She has held senior roles at Austin Health, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Most recently serving as Interim Chief Financial Officer at Austin Health, where she led financial sustainability, governance enhancements, revenue optimisation and major digital transformation projects including the implementation of Oracle Fusion ERP. Lisa’s career reflects a strong track record in fiscal stewardship, business reform and building high-performance teams.
She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (University of Melbourne), is a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ) and is an active member of HFMA.
HG is delighted for Lisa as she joins CALHN in this role.
Jan Adele Hotz
Executive Director, Bundaberg & Rurals | Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service.
HG is delighted to announce the appointment of Jan Adele Hotz as Executive Director, Bundaberg & Rurals at the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS).
Jan Adele brings over 20 years of senior leadership experience across rural and regional healthcare, with deep expertise in operational management, clinical governance, patient centred models of care, and workforce leadership. Most recently, she has served in multiple periods as Acting Executive Director, Bundaberg & Rurals, where she has overseen the performance of Bundaberg Hospital and rural facilities, including financial stewardship, service access, patient flow, safety and quality, and governance responsibilities.
Across her career, Jan Adele has held significant leadership roles including Director of Nursing, Rural Facilities & Services and Director of Nursing/Facility Manager at Mundubbera MPS, contributing to substantial service improvements, disaster response leadership, and enhanced care quality across Biggenden, Gin Gin, Childers, Monto, Gayndah, Eidsvold, Mundubbera, Mt Perry and broader rural communities. Her commitment to high quality, equitable rural health services has been recognised through multiple WBHHS and community awards.
HG is delighted for Jan Adele as she steps into this role with Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service.
Michelle Murray
Director – Māori Relations | New Zealand Health Group.
HG is delighted to announce the appointment of Michelle Murray as Director – Māori Relations at New Zealand Health Group.
Michelle brings over 20 years of leadership experience in health systems, equity, and kaupapa Māori approaches. She has held senior roles including Executive Manager Health Promotion Systems at VicHealth, where she led strategic health promotion initiatives to include First Nations initiatives and acted as Chief Executive on several occasions; and Chief Executive Māori and Equity Officer at ACC, where she developed and implemented ACC’s 10-year strategy that intertwined Māori and equity throughout and championed cultural capability across the organisation. Michelle also served as Chief Executive Officer for two Primary Health Organisations to include a kaupapa Māori PHO, driving transformational change and improving health outcomes for Māori and vulnerable populations.
HG is thrilled for Michelle as she steps into this role with New Zealand Health Group, bringing her deep expertise in Māori health, equity, and strategic leadership to advance outcomes for whānau and communities.
Darren Mitchell
Chief Executive | Ara Institute of Canterbury.
HG is delighted to announce Darren Mitchell as the new Chief Executive of Ara Institute of Canterbury.
Darren brings over 20 years of leadership experience in vocational education, including senior roles as Chief Executive, Executive Director, and Deputy Chief Executive. He has guided Ara through significant transformation, including the development of Vision 2030, which sets a strong foundation for sustainability and future growth. Darren has led major campus redevelopment projects and provided outstanding crisis leadership during challenging times, ensuring continuity and community support.
A Chartered Accountant Fellow with a Bachelor of Commerce from Otago University, Darren is deeply committed to equity, learner success, and embedding Te Tiriti o Waitangi across Ara’s operations. His leadership will strengthen Ara’s impact and shape the future of vocational education in Aotearoa.
HG congratulates his appointment with Ara Institute of Canterbury.
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