Award for CEO who excelled during pandemic

Ramsay Health Care Australia executive Leah Gabolinscy has been recognised for her work in creating stronger private services for the Newcastle community and leading her team through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms Gabolinscy won the Outstanding Business Leader category of the 2021 Lake Macquarie Business Excellence Awards, crowning her three-year stint as Newcastle Region CEO.

That role involved overseeing a team of 1,100 workers at Lake Macquarie and Warners Bay Private Hospitals, which were grouped together in 2019 to provide more integrated private healthcare services for the local communities.

"I was pleasantly surprised, of course, that the team at the hospital very kindly nominated me for this award, but I see it more as recognition of the progress we have made and the patients we have cared for together," she said.

"Everything that went into my three years, and particularly the last 12 months, was a complete team effort.I feel the win is validation for what we achieved together."

In May 2021, Ms Gabolinscy moved to a new role as Chief Transformation Officer for Ramsay, Australia's largest private healthcare provider, and was replaced by her deputy Sharon Rewitt in the Newcastle position.

"Leah was nominated partly on the basis of her leadership through the COVID response," Ms Rewitt said.

"But also of significance was her role in bringing the two hospitals together in the regional restructure.

"Previously they hadn't worked so much together, and now we are able to provide healthcare services across a range of specialities.I feel this is another major legacy and it assisted my transition into the CEO role when Leah moved on."

Lake Macquarie Private Hospital specialises in high acuity surgery, cardiology, oncology and has Newcastle's only private emergency department.

Warners Bay Private Hospital complements this with a comprehensive rehabilitation unit, mental health services and lower acuity surgery.

Combined, the two facilities look after more than 50,000 patients a year.

"When Leah moved on I was able to step into the regional CEO role quite seamlessly," said Ms Rewitt, who was CEO at Warners Bay when the restructure began.

"Without that regional structure in place, it would have been a fairly disruptive process. That's another of Leah's legacies."

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