Sonya Smart

Chief Executive Officer

Prior to joining VMCH in February 2017, Sonya was Chief Executive of Catholic Homes Incorporated in WA, a position she held for over six years. She has also held leadership roles in residential and community care at Southern Cross Care WA.

A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (2016), Sonya holds a Master of Business Administration from Curtin University of Technology (2010) and a post graduate qualification in Clinical Psychology from Edith Cowan University (2002). Sonya’s entrepreneurship and business acumen was recognized in 2008 when she received a ‘40under40’ award: an honour which recognizes excellence and innovation amid WA’s young leaders.

With a passion for residential aged care, disability and community services, Sonya has been a long-time advocate for delivering exceptional care to marginalised people in the community.

David Williamson

Chief Operating Officer

David is a highly accomplished Senior Executive with over 30 years’ experience across the aged, disability, health and insurance sectors.

A values-driven leader with a passion for social purpose, David is dedicated to delivering services that promote capacity building, person-centred care and optimal life outcomes for older people and people with disability. This commitment is balanced with a deep understanding of ensuring commercial practices deliver on sustainable operations.

A natural and skilled communicator, David has a proven track record in the successful delivery of exceptional care, employee engagement and organisational growth, within sectors navigating frequent reforms and challenges.

David holds a Master of Business (Personal Injury) from Deakin University and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy from La Trobe University.

Bridget O’Shannassy

Chief Mission Officer

Bridget is assigned with the important task of developing VMCH’s strategic plan to lead and shape its Catholic mission.

More than 30 years of experience in leadership roles within Catholic education, not-for-profit NGO’s and health care organisations has given Bridget a depth of understanding of Catholic culture and faith, and the ability to lead large teams.

Bridget possesses a great awareness of the need for supportive and empathetic relationships, and is able to articulate VMCH’s mission in a way that is enriching and energising through formation opportunities. A significant achievement of Bridget’s includes leading VMCH’s response to Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) in Victoria and being the Aged Care Representative on Catholic Health Australia’s VAD taskforce.

Funda Ozenc

Executive General Manager Quality & Clinical Excellence

Funda Ozenc is a transformational leader with close to 20 years’ experience across diverse industries including community health, aged care and IT in both non-profit and private sectors.

In her current role as General Manager Quality & Clinical Excellence at one of Victoria’s largest aged and disability providers VMCH, Funda is responsible for establishing and embedding quality, risk and clinical governance frameworks.

She is passionate about promoting a culture of consumer-focused service delivery through service improvement based on best practice guidelines, clinical data analysis, consumer consultation and innovation.

Daniel Nasrallah

Chief Financial Officer

Daniel has over 20 years’ experience in financial leadership roles across the sector including, retirement living, aged care, home care and health insurance. He has broad commercial knowledge and experience in strategy execution, corporate advisory, mergers and acquisitions and capital management.

Daniel is passionate about companies and people who want to make a difference. He is a performance driven executive with expertise in partnering across large, highly regulated, and multi-business organisations.

Daniel is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a Bachelor of Business.

Kate McCormack FAHRI

Chief Human Resources Officer

Kate has over 25 years’ experience as a Human Resources Executive across retail, logistics and healthcare. She has spent the last 19 years at Mercy Health Australia and the last 10 as the Executive Director People, Learning and Culture.

Kate is passionate about equal opportunity and diversity in the workplace, and has an impressive list of achievements including being named ‘Diversity Leader for the Advancement of Women’ through the Equal Opportunity Workplace Agency.

Along with her experience as a former VMCH Board Member and Chair of our People and Culture committee, Kate also holds a Board position with Catholic Care Victoria and is a member of the People and Culture Committee at Caritas Australia.

Kym Molineux

Executive General Manager Sales & Marketing

Kym Molineux is a highly experienced sales, marketing and communications professional with over 15 years working across for-purpose and corporate organisations.
A natural leader, Kym excels in guiding teams to meet strategic goals with professionalism, efficiency and pride.

A strong negotiator with a drive to succeed, Kym has spearheaded countless marketing and sales campaigns, resulting in successful outcomes on a variety of high-stakes property and brand projects.

Kym’s impeccable attention to detail, excellent interpersonal skills, strong industry knowledge and customer journey focus have earned her a reputation as a solid sales and marketing professional who delivers.

Liz Hickey

Executive General Manager Retirement Living

Liz Hickey has over 20 years’ experience in managing property, affordable housing and retirement villages, including existing communities, greenfield developments and refurbishments.

Her passion for building and retaining high performing village teams, with a strong focus on resident satisfaction, has seen her excel within the industry.

Liz has a deep understanding of the processes and governance that ensure communities are appropriately managed for risk, deliver successful financial outcomes and continued high occupancy.

Natalina Velardi

Chief Legal & Risk Officer/Company Secretary

Natalina is a governance and legal professional with over 20 years’ experience. She is passionate about encouraging good governance practices to support ethical approaches to business issues. She has held a number of senior executive roles in the not-for-profit sector and for the past five years has been in the aged care and disability sector as the Company Secretary and General Counsel/General Manager Governance of Villa Maria Catholic Homes Ltd. She is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. She is also a practicing legal practitioner and a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Martha O’Sullivan

Chief Information Officer

Martha O’Sullivan is a seasoned IT professional with a background across multiple sectors including Professional Services, Telecomms, Insurance and Retail. This diverse experience allows her to seamlessly bridge the gap between high-level business strategy and ground-level operational execution.

Martha excels in collaborating with business stakeholders, understanding their strategic objectives and challenges, and crafting IT solutions to aid their success. Her commitment to Lean and Agile methodologies drive her approach to team management, with simplification, efficiency and quality.

Martha’s passion for continuous improvement and her ability to implement streamlined processes are an invaluable asset, ensuring outstanding support and positive business outcomes.

Ruth Payne

Chief Property Officer

Ruth Payne, a registered architect with over 25 years’ experience, excels in leading development teams and delivering exemplary projects. Her award-winning portfolio spans residential aged care, retirement living, affordable housing and specialist education.

As Chief Property Officer, Ruth leads the VMCH property team, ensuring the highest standards in developments and asset management, while integrating VMCH’s values.
Ruth’s passion for creating enriching spaces for those with specialist needs drives her career, making her a leader in architectural innovation for marginalised communities.