Ailsa Claire OBE

Chief Executive

Ailsa Claire OBE was appointed as Chief Executive of Auckland DHB in October 2012 and returned home to take up this role after a distinguished career in the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

Ailsa is committed to equity in healthcare and to ensuring individuals are supported to get the outcomes they want for themselves, their whānau and their community.

As Chief Executive of New Zealand’s third largest employer, Ailsa is mindful of the social and environmental impact of Auckland DHB and the role it plays locally, regionally and nationally.

Ailsa has a number of regional and national roles that focus on workforce. She has been behind the successful To Thrive Programme at Auckland DHB – supporting lower paid workforce with career development, digital and financial literacy.

Ailsa was awarded an OBE for services to healthcare in 2009.

Ailsa has three grown up children. When work is not keeping her busy, she relishes the kiwi lifestyle relaxing in her home in Warkworth where she lives with her husband.

Margaret Dotchin 

Chief Nursing Officer

Awarded Te Tohu Ratonga Tūmatanui | The New Zealand Public Service Medal for 2020.

Margaret completed her nursing training at Middlemore Hospital as a registered general and obstetric nurse in 1985. Margaret worked in a variety of roles as a registered nurse both at Middlemore Hospital, National Women’s Hospital and overseas prior to her first senior nursing role as charge nurse gynaecology oncology, National Women’s in 1990. She was appointed to the role of Chief Nursing Officer, Auckland District Health Board in July 2012. Prior to this Margaret held the position of Director of Nursing for Adult Services, Auckland District Health Board.

Margaret has held both general management and nursing leadership roles across Adult Health Services and Women’s Health Services in her long history of working at Auckland District Health Board or its predecessors. She is passionate about nursing and the contribution the profession brings to the delivery of safe, high-quality, compassionate, family-centred care – balanced with financial sustainability.    

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Professional accountability and leadership
• Infection control
• Falls and pressure injuries
  
• Patient and whānau experience.

Dr Margaret Wilsher 

Chief Medical Officer

Margaret was appointed Chief Medical Officer in 2010. A medical graduate of the University of Otago, she trained as a specialist in respiratory medicine at Green Lane Hospital and undertook post fellowship clinical and research training in London. After a number of years as a practising clinician and clinical academic, she has assumed an increasing number of clinical leadership and and administration roles in health. A key component of the CMO role is ongoing clinical practice. Margaret considers this essential as she sees the hospital when it is busy, experiences the same challenges as her clinical peers and importantly, hears patient stories at source. 

Margaret has a number of health leadership responsibilities outside of the Auckland District Health Board, including membership of the partnership groups overseeing major capital investment in Canterbury and Southern DHBs, advisory roles to ministry and minister of health. She has also held leadership roles within her clinical profession. 

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Medical professional accountability and leadership
• Research
• Clinical Practice Committee
• Patient safety
• Auckland Academic Health Alliance.

Meg Poutasi

Chief of Strategy

Meg is an experienced senior leader with a demonstrated history of high performance in public service, having previously served as Director of Partnerships for the Department of Conservation as well as Director of the State Services Commission in Auckland. A partnership specialist with a background in law, she has worked with mana whenua across her career and has worked internationally as the Chief Executive of the Pacific Cooperation Foundation. She was also Associate Crown Counsel at the Crown Law Office.

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Organisational strategy
• Patient and public participation
• Partnerships with health organisations
• Communication
• Innovation
• Strategy deployment and performance improvement.

Dr Debbie Holdsworth

Director of Funding, Auckland & Waitemata DHBs

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Lead funding directorate across both Auckland and Waitemata District Health Boards
• Ensure funds are allocated effectively and efficiently for health outcome.

Dame Naida Glavish

Chief Advisor Tikanga, Auckland & Waitemata DHBs

Key roles and responsibilities: 

• Relationships with mana whenua and Mātā Waka
• Cultural support to all staff, patients and their whānau.

Dr Mike Shepherd

Interim Director Provider Services

Mike has been a Paediatric Emergency Medicine Specialist for 15 years and Director of Starship Child Health (Medical and Community) for the last six years.

As Director of Child Health, Mike has been involved in a range of areas including clinical governance, staff development, service development, staff wellbeing, research and innovation, facilities improvement and financial sustainability.

Mike continues to work in the Children’s Emergency Department in Starship.

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Provider integration operational management
• Accountable for all services and employees in provider functions
• Provider arm performance.

Shayne Tong

Chief Digital Officer

Shayne comes to Auckland District Health Board with extensive experience in IT and digital experience in both operational and large complex transformation delivery. Most recently, Shayne worked as the Chief Information Officer at Genesis Energy but has also held senior positions at Fletcher Building as well as Barclays Group and Goldman Sachs in the United Kingdom.

Key roles and responsibilities:

• IT enabled transformational change
• Electronic health record
• Digital by Default
• Business intelligence
• healthAlliance/IT service contracts.

Justine White

Chief Financial Officer

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Corporate governance and risk management
• Estate strategy and facilities management
• Supplier contract management
• Commercial services.

Sue Waters

Chief Health Professions Officer 

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Professional accountability and leadership
• Health and Safety
• Family violence and child protection
• Disability and rehabilitation
• Corporate governance and risk management.

Dr Karen Bartholomew

Director of Health Outcomes, Auckland & Waitemata DHBs

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Health needs assessment
• Planning and reporting
• Population health
• Healthy workplace.

Mark Edwards

Chief Quality, Safety and Risk Officer

Mark has worked as an anaesthetist at Auckland District Health Board since 2005. Prior to his appointment to the role of Chief Quality, Safety and Risk Officer in 2019 he has held leadership positions as a Clinical Director of Anaesthesia, Director of the Cardiovascular Service and Director of Clinical Quality and Safety. He continues to practice anaesthesia for patients with heart and lung disease undergoing surgery.

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Clinical Quality and Safety
• Health and Safety
• Enterprise Risk Management
• Patient feedback and experience.

Melanie Dooney

Chief People Officer

Melanie has over 20 years’ experience working internationally in a wide variety of sectors and disciplines.  She has held senior Human Resources and Finance roles at global multinational companies in manufacturing, IT and financial services sectors. Melanie holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Science in Biochemistry degree, both from the University of Otago.

Key roles and responsibilities:

• Employee experience
• Employment and industrial relations
• Organisational development and culture
• Communications.