Health Service Chief Executive
Adjunct Professor Frank Tracey
Adjunct Professor Frank Tracey has over 40 years’ experience working in health systems, including executive roles in large health organisations, the private and non-government sector and in tertiary education.
He has a clinical background in nursing and holds advanced qualifications in leadership development, health management and governance. His strong executive management and leadership skills complement his extensive experience in health commissioning and service provision in clinical and community settings.
He has an applied interest in population health planning and translational health research. While working in both government and non-government roles he has focused on delivering sustainable health strategies that serve the best interests of:
- consumers
- health professionals
- the broader health system
- social care system
- the community.
Executive Director Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer
Alan Fletcher
Alan is a member of CPA Australia and has more than 28 years’ corporate leadership and management within the public health sector.
He is a highly experienced healthcare leader responsible for our:
- financial strategy, performance, and governance
- procurement, contracts management, and supply chain management
- capital asset and infrastructure strategy, lifecycle planning, and maintenance compliance
- climate risk and environmental sustainability strategy, planning, and response
- corporate governance, assurance frameworks and internal audit function.
Executive Director Medical Services
Associate Professor Steven McTaggart
Steven has been our Executive Director Medical Services since May 2021. Before this he was the Divisional Director of Medicine from 2014.
A paediatric nephrologist for 20 years, he continues with some limited clinical practice providing care to children with kidney disease and their families.
He has a passion for person-centred care, patient safety and quality, and clinical excellence.
He is also the Paediatric Medical Lead at Patient Safety and Quality, Clinical Excellence Queensland.
His leadership is pivotal to supporting the workforce to deliver continuous improvement in patient care by:
- embedding best practice
- encouraging innovation in clinical care, education and research.
Acting Executive Director Nursing Services
Ruth McCaffery
Ruth McCaffery has 35 years' of paediatric nursing experience. She has held senior nursing roles in education and workforce planning. Her clinical background as a paediatric intensive care nurse and extracorporeal life support (ECLS) specialist, teaching as a nurse educator and in quality and patient safety as the principal project officer in the launch of the Queensland Children’s Early warning Tool (CEWT), have embedded the fundamental belief that interprofessional, clinical, health care education is fundamental in the provision of high-quality care and assuring patient safety.
Her professional focus continues into supporting the development of models of care and expanding interprofessional learning opportunities, utilising the latest modalities as an advocate for learning needs across all professional streams. Ruth supports the work of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council and the Prevocational Medical Accreditation Queensland as a member of their accreditation team. Ruth holds post-graduate qualifications in nursing, teaching, and research.
Executive Director Allied Health
Associate Professor Leanne Johnston
Leanne is an advanced clinical paediatric physiotherapist with more than 30 years’ experience across clinical, research, management and education roles. She was one of our founding board members from 2012 to 2019.
She is passionate about improving healthcare quality and reducing health inequality.
She has dedicated her career to providing high-quality person-centred care and support for children and their families.
She has held executive roles across multiple sectors, including:
- Head of Physiotherapy for The University of Queensland
- Allied Health and Research Manager for the Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland.
Chief Operating Officer
Brendan Hoad
Brendan is a dedicated, long-standing member of the Children’s Health Queensland leadership team, bringing more than two decades of experience in Queensland Health. An operating theatre nurse by background, Brendan has been part of the Queensland Children’s Hospital since its inception and previously served at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Throughout his career, Brendan has held several senior leadership roles within the Division of Surgery. Since 2019, he has served as the Divisional Director for Surgery, where he has played a pivotal role in advancing safe, high-quality surgical care for children and young people across Queensland. Brendan is widely recognised for his deep understanding of clinical systems and processes, which are essential to the delivery of safe, effective, and integrated paediatric hospital and community-based services.
Executive Director Strategy and Transformation
Adrian Clutterbuck
Adrian has extensive experience leading and delivering strategy and transformation to international health systems. A physiotherapist with a passion for developing people and teams, he has worked for us since 2017.
As a director in a top tier management consultancy company, he has worked in United Kingdom and Australian health systems.
In this role he delivered operational efficiency and large-scale reconfiguration and transformation.
He has also held clinical leadership roles in community services as well as business development roles in a multinational pharmaceutical company.
Executive Director People and Culture
John Hammond
John is a highly experienced senior leader with significant operational and corporate system experience. Prior to joining Children's Health Queensland, John was an Assistant Commissioner with the Queensland Ambulance Service, with a career in that space spanning almost 24 years.
John has led significant and high-profile projects and events ranging from delivering Ambulance services throughout the 2018 Commonwealth Games, through to transformational change in shifting the previously out-sourced operational services to the current in-house model.
John leads with empathy and compassion with a focus on fairness and transparency, robust governance principles; and a passion for uplifting leadership capability. Within the People and Culture Portfolio, John leads functions that include human resources, recruitment, health safety and wellbeing, leadership capability, development and culture and legal services.
Chief Digital Transformation Officer
Adi Gafni
Adi is a purpose-driven leader who brings a people-centred approach to technology and data in healthcare. With a passion for innovation, she is focused on enabling digital capabilities that improve care delivery, workforce experience, and organisational performance.
Since joining Children’s Health Queensland in 2018, Adi has played a key role in shaping the organisation’s digital future, including the development of Children’s Health Queensland’s inaugural Digital and Data Strategy. She fosters a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and continuous improvement, ensuring CHQ’s digital transformation consistently supports safe, equitable and future-ready care for children and young people.
Executive Director Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement
Jessica Oostenbroek
Jessica is a proud descendant of the Yuggera peoples of South-East Queensland. With more than 15 years’ experience across health and human services, Jessica is known for her leadership in system strategy and reform, commissioning, program delivery and evaluation, governance and workforce development.
Jessica previously served as a member of the Department of Health First Nations Health Office executive team and led the delivery of Queensland’s policy and legislative framework for the First Nations Health Equity reform program and Health Equity Strategies across Queensland.
Through her career, Jessica has held roles in community development, mental health, child protection, and youth justice. She offers her skills and experience on non-government, for purpose boards as a Director for ARACY and Non-Executive Director with Key Assets Australia.
Jessica holds a Bachelor of Psychological Science, a Graduate Certificate of Policy Analysis (with Honours) and Executive Master of Business Administration (with Honours).
Senior Director Office of the Health Service Chief Executive
Sarah Wanless
Sarah is a values-driven leader who has held senior leadership roles across service delivery, commissioning, governance and policy in public health systems in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Her career began in operational management at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, before moving into healthcare commissioning within the UK’s National Health Service. During this time, she maintained a strong commitment to improving access to high quality, effective services for children and young people.
Since relocating to Australia, Sarah has focused on governance, strategy and policy, initially within the Department of Health and, since 2022, in Children’s Health Queensland.
Working closely with our Board and Executive, in her current role as Senior Director, Office of the Health Service Chief Executive, Sarah leads media and communications, government liaison, Board support, official correspondence, and executive support functions.