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.
Recent Key Appointments
Organisations trust HardyGroup
to find great talent to deliver on their mission.
Adele Mollo
Chief Operating Officer | The Royal Women’s Hospital.
David Downs
Chief Executive | Education New Zealand.
Natalie Hughes
Head of the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences | The University of Waikato.
Rochelle Griffin
Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer
Adele Mollo
Chief Operating Officer | The Royal Women’s Hospital.
HG is delighted to announce the appointment of Adele Mollo as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) at The Royal Women’s Hospital.
Adele brings over 20 years of senior and executive leadership experience across complex health systems, statewide public health operations, and women’s and children’s services. She has held multiple executive roles within the Victorian Department of Health, most recently serving as Executive Director, Health Service Interface & Collaboration in the Hospital & Health Services Division, where she led major system reform programs, statewide governance initiatives, infrastructure commissioning, maternity and newborn reform, and clinical risk and issues management.
Adele’s earlier leadership as Divisional Director of Women’s & Children’s Services at Western Health included overseeing the successful establishment of the Joan Kirner Women’s & Children’s Hospital, major service expansions, and significant performance, quality and safety improvements.
Adele is well regarded for her strategic insight, operational excellence, collaborative leadership style, and deep commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and high quality care. She is known for successfully delivering large scale change, supporting high performing teams, fostering safe and improvement focused cultures, and building strong partnerships across the health system.
She holds a Master of Health Administration (La Trobe University), a Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing), and is a graduate of the Williamson Community Leadership Program.
HG is thrilled for Adele as she steps into this key leadership role with The Royal Women’s Hospital, strengthening its mission to create healthier futures for women and babies.
David Downs
Chief Executive | Education New Zealand.
HG is extremely pleased to announce David Downs as the new Chief Executive at Education New Zealand.
David is a highly experienced senior executive with a career spanning government, international business and technology. He has held influential leadership roles across MBIE, NZTE, Microsoft and, most recently, the New Zealand Story Group, where he strengthened New Zealand’s global reputation and deepened cross‑government collaboration.
He is known for bringing agencies and sectors together around shared priorities, building strong partnerships and delivering measurable system impact. His leadership is supported by executive development at Stanford and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Auckland.
HG congratulates David on this appointment and looks forward to the contribution he will bring.
Natalie Hughes
Head of the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences | The University of Waikato.
HG is pleased to announce Professor Natalie Hughes as the new Head of the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at The University of Waikato.
Natalie is a senior academic leader with long-standing experience across pharmacy, pharmaceutical science, and health education. She has held roles including Associate Dean, Deputy Dean, and Acting Dean at the University of Otago, where she contributed to curriculum development, accreditation, and academic governance.
In her recent positions as Associate Dean Admissions and Associate Dean Undergraduate, she led key curriculum updates, supported accreditation activity, and strengthened programme delivery and partnerships.
Natalie holds a PhD and Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Otago and a Bachelor of Science from Massey University, with additional training in leadership and Te Reo.
HG congratulates Professor Hughes and looks forward to her contribution to the future of pharmacy and biomedical sciences at Waikato.
Rochelle Griffin
Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer
HG is delighted to announce the appointment of Rochelle Griffin to the position of Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer with the Department for Health and Wellbeing (South Australia).
Rochelle is a senior nursing and midwifery executive with extensive experience across metropolitan, regional and remote health services, with a strong focus on workforce strategy, clinical governance and system reform. She is currently Executive Director, Nursing and Midwifery with Yorke & Northern Local Health Network, where she has led multi-site workforce and governance initiatives across a large and geographically dispersed region, including expansion of workforce pipelines, implementation of aged care reform readiness and strengthening accreditation and service assurance frameworks. Her earlier leadership roles include Nursing Director, Education and Workforce Development, where she established sustainable workforce pathways and improved retention across graduate and early career cohorts.
HG is delighted for Rochelle as she steps into this role with the Department for Health and Wellbeing.
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
The Management Advisory Services (MAS) Panel
Industries we serve
Public Health
Private Health
Primary u0026 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.
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