Executive team

Leena Singh commenced in the Chief Executive role in February 2023.

Leena has over 20 years' experience in senior executive roles in health systems in New South Wales, Queensland and New Zealand with particular skills in strategic development, governance, and health systems improvement.

Her wealth of experience includes holding Chief Executive, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer roles in a range of Health Services and other organisations.

Leena is an accomplished leader, known for her ability to build relationships with stakeholders and staff, bringing people together to align to a shared strategic vision.

Leena is committed to helping improve the health outcomes of the local community, particularly those who are most vulnerable.

Jenelle was appointed to the newly created Chief Operating Officer role in July 2024.

Having previously worked at Western Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health District’s, where she held senior roles including most recently the General Manager of Westmead Hospital.

Jenelle has an academic background in both business and nursing, having spent extensive time in both front line and management roles within tertiary and metropolitan facilities in NSW.

She has held leadership roles in the fields of critical care nursing, patient safety and quality, medical operations, and surgical services.

Jenelle is passionate about ensuring there is a responsive, effective and quality based approach to service delivery along with cultivating a safe and positive environment for all staff to work within.

Thomas Pamminger commenced in the Chief Finance Officer role in May 2025.

Thomas has over 25 years’ experience as a senior executive in various roles including Chief Financial Officer, General Manager and Company Secretary in both public and private sectors predominantly within health and education and has a passion for changing people’s lives for the better (especially in rural areas).

Thomas holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from the University of South Australia and an Associate Diploma in Accounting from Adelaide College of TAFE.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Cheryl Winstanley was appointed to the Executive Director of People and Culture in October 2023.

She has extensive senior level human resource management experience in the public and private sector. This includes working most recently as a Darwin based workplace relations consultant, an Executive Director in the Officer of the Commissioner for Public Employment for the Northern Territory Government, and HR director with the NT Government.

Cheryl is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Masters of Law and Mediation qualifications from QUT.

Don Mackie was appointed in June 2019 and has over 20 years of experience in clinical leadership roles in Australia and New Zealand.

He originally specialised in anaesthesia and has worked in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Most recently, Don held the role of Executive Director of Medical Services and Clinical Governance with the Central Adelaide Local Health Network.

Previously, he was New Zealand Ministry of Health Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director General: Clinical Leadership, Protection and Regulation.

Before that, Don was Chief Medical Officer at Counties Manukau District Health Board.

Lee joined the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service as Acting Executive of Nursing and Midwifery in January 2025.

She has extensive executive leadership experience in public and not for profit private health sectors and academia.

Lee is an assessor for the NSQHS Standards and holds post graduate qualifications in education, research, critical care and management.

Her PhD investigated health program evaluation models.

Current priorities include strategic nursing and midwifery workforce planning, nursing leadership, university recognition of industry-based learning and teaching and innovative models of care with a focus on safe high-quality care.

Tania Cavanagh was permanently appointed to the role in June 2022 after acting in the position since March 2020.

Tania has worked for over 30 years as a Physiotherapist. This has been in clinical and clinical leadership roles, in both public and private sector health settings, across Australia and overseas in the United Kingdom.

In 2004, she became the Health Service's Director of Physiotherapy and has also acted for long periods in the Director Allied Health role.

Tania is a member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and currently a Director on the James Cook University Dental Board.

Simone Lukies was permanently appointed in the Executive Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health position in December 2023.

Simone has seventeen years’ experience in the health industry working towards improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.

She has done this by working to better systems, strategies, and services, across a variety of disciplines including Pharmacy, Sexual Health, Rheumatic Heart Disease and eHealth projects.

Dean Davidson was appointed as the Executive Director Strategy, Planning and Infrastructure in January 2024.

He has previously worked for Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) and commenced as the Director Contracts and Procurement in 2016 and since 2017 has held several Executive roles inclusive of the acting Executive Corporate Services, Executive Director Asset Management, Executive Director Strategy, and Investment and for the last 6 months with TCHHS was the acting Health Service Chief Executive.

Dean has a Bachelor of Commerce (Business Logistics, Business Administration & Economics) from the University of Natal, South Africa and a Master’s In Business (MBA) from the University of Otago, New Zealand.