The BRHS Executive
Robyn Hayles
MPH, GAICD, BN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Robyn Hayles is BRHS’ Chief Executive Officer.
She joined BRHS in February 2018.
Robyn’s extensive experience includes senior executive roles in a specialised tertiary health setting, large regional settings and the full continuum of health services.
Robyn has a nursing background and studied a Master of Public Health Degree at RMIT in 2001. She has undertaken many leadership courses since this time including a Professional Certificate in Health Systems Management (Business Enterprise) at Melbourne University.
Robyn’s unique work history, across a range of both health and geographical settings, has provided her with the experience and ability to lead, plan and negotiate within the complex systems of health and community in an ever-reforming environment.
Robyn has two core professional passions: leadership and health. These drive her motivation and enthusiasm to consistently seek opportunities to creatively and innovatively govern and lead health system improvement that ensure true consumer-centered care.
Dr Mau Wee
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, Executive Medical Services - BRHS and East Gippsland Sub-region
Dr Mau Wee has been BRHS’ Executive Medical Services and Chief Medical Officer since March 2021.
The Medical Services Directorate at BRHS supports the operational and strategic development of the Medical Workforce, Pharmacy and Medical Imaging departments and has operational oversight over contracted Pathology services. The Directorate also oversees clinical and research governance of the health service.
The Directorate is responsible for the training and development of Interns and Junior Medical Officers at BRHS in collaboration with external stakeholders such as the Victorian Rural Generalist Program (VRGP), Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP).
The Directorate also maintains a collaborative relationship with other health services both regionally and in metropolitan Melbourne to support the ongoing upskilling and training of its medical staff.
In keeping with the Strategic Plan to develop its own local workforce, the Directorate works collaboratively with various academic partners to support medical student placements at BRHS and their transition into the medical workforce.
As Chief Medical Officer, the role leads and ensures the professional standards of our medical staff and services.
The Executive Medical Services is also the Director of Medical Services for Omeo District Health Service and Orbost Regional Health, which facilitates an integrated and collaborative approach to the delivery of medical services in East Gippsland.
Dr Wee completed his medical training in South Australia and spent much of his junior medical officer year in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
His experience in various medical specialities such as general surgery and palliative medicine, particularly in the regional and remote setting, provides a unique perspective into the development of such services within East Gippsland.
As a medical administrator, he has worked in various regional health services across South Australia and Victoria.
He shares a strong passion for Health Informatics and is committed to ensuring services developed are data-driven and evidence-based.
Maree Fellows
Executive Acute Services/CHIEF NURSE AND MIDWIFE - RN, RM, BN
Maree Fellows is BRHS’ Executive Acute Services/Chief Nurse and Midwife.
In this role, Maree has operational responsibility for a wide range of the clinical services at BRHS and to meet agreed Department of Health priorities including access, discharge and overall flow of patients across BRHS.
As Chief Nurse and Midwife, the Director also provides leadership for the nursing and midwifery workforce, and oversight of their professional standards.
Melbourne-based for almost all of her career, Maree has a qualification in Nursing and Midwifery, having studied Health Administration at Latrobe University, and also Law at Monash University.
Her professional career started as a Registered Nurse and also a Midwife in the public health service before moving into executive roles in Health.
Maree has a long-held passion for and deep understanding of Clinical Governance, having represented private health at national level for many years.
Maree also has a strong commitment to organisational culture, coming to BRHS with sound operational/management experience and more than 20 years of senior executive leadership experience at Director and CEO level across many health businesses.
“BRHS is my first opportunity to support a regional health service to deliver exceptional health care. Ensuring that we deliver health services models that are patient-centred in a rural setting inspires me at BRHS, and aligns with my visions of what exemplary health services looks like,” she said.
Peter Barker
Executive People and Culture
Peter Barker is BRHS’ Executive People and Culture.
Peter has more than 25 years of people and culture and change management experience across a range of businesses and sectors including healthcare, mining, construction, transport and logistics, labour hire and government. Peter is an experienced manager, a marketer and strategist.
In this strategic executive role, Peter oversees a range of professional services including workplace relations, workforce planning, employee wellness, occupational health and safety, recruitment, organisational development, payroll administration, corporate administrative support, accommodation services, diversity, equity and inclusion, building teams and culture, managing performance and people policy.
Peter is solutions-focused and has a level head; utilising his many years of broad industry experience. He hopes to support and to add value for our BRHS managers and teams.
His career achievements include operational and strategic people management in both large and small healthcare facilities, strategy and development of a large integrated regional ‘health hub’, project lead and change manager for a large service collocation and asset rationalization project, administration and management for a large Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure project and establishing and operating a labour hire business specialising in hard to get engineering skills.
Peter is approachable and he listens. He has three lovely children who are now grown up and live and work in Queensland.
He has family and friends in the East Gippsland region and is looking forward to experiencing all that the region has to offer.
“I am looking forward to meeting and working with the BRHS team” he said.
“East Gippsland offers visitors and local people so much, we must market the region, the lifestyle and the friendly people to help to attract and retain more staff for BRHS and our community.”
Bill Morfis
Executive Corporate Services
Bill Morfis is BRHS’s Executive Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and commenced in the role in June 2019.
Bill is responsible for the provision of a range of support services including General Services (Facilities, Food Services, Environmental Services and Security), Procurement, Finance, Information and Communications Technology, Business Intelligence and Health Information Services.
Bill grew up in Sydney, New South Wales, and has attained a Bachelor of Health Administration, Masters of Commerce and is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA).
Bill has been employed in the Health industry for the bulk of his career and understands well the important role that corporate services play in supporting the provision of health care to our community. Whilst Bill has only recently moved into the area, he is thoroughly enjoying his time further exploring this wonderful part of the state.
Kathy Kinrade
Executive Quality and Education - RN, Grad Dip (Critical Care – Emergency), MA Nursing
Kathy Kinrade is Executive Quality and Education.
Kathy Kinrade was appointed BRHS’ first Director of Quality and Education in 2021, prior to which she was BRHS’ Clinical Operations Manager.
Kathy has held senior management roles for more than 14 years, and was previously Deputy Director of Nursing and Midwifery and Director of Clinical Operations at West Gippsland Healthcare Group.
As the Director of Quality and Education Kathy holds responsibility for accreditation across all areas of the organisation, oversight of incident management and feedback and the quality improvement initiatives and education services across BRHS.
“I have spent most of my nursing career in country areas,” she said. “I find that close connection that rural health services have to the community they serve to be very rewarding.”
Sonia Reisenhofer
Executive Community, Wellbeing and Aged Care - RN, MN (Emergency), PhD
East Gippsland local Sonia Reisenhofer returned to Bairnsdale in early 2022 to join BRHS as Director of Community Wellbeing and Partnerships before her present role.
Sonia is responsible for many of the services that promote health and wellbeing in our community, including Allied Health, Consulting Suites, Community Health and Complex Care, Better@Home, Dental Services, the Pain Management Clinic, and our Residential Aged Care facilities at Maddocks Gardens.
Before joining BRHS Sonia was Associate Provost (International) for the College of Science, Health and Engineering at La Trobe University, where she led international partnerships and engagement for the College.
Prior to this, Sonia was Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Partnerships) for the College and among other roles, was Director of International in the School of Nursing & Midwifery, also having worked as a Nursing Academic, Graduate Nurse Coordinator and Emergency Nurse over the past 20 years.
A PhD qualified Registered Nurse, Sonia’s research interests are in women’s health, particularly intimate partner violence, and global learning experiences.
Sonia is an Adjunct Associate Professor at La Trobe University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery.
“After having been away for nearly 20 years, I’m delighted to be home again, closer to family and friends, and with this incredible opportunity to support BRHS in delivering excellence in community focused health care.”
