The Leadership Group

Cathryn Cox PSM was appointed Chief Executive of Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network in August 2020.

Cathryn has many years of experience as an Executive within the NSW Ministry of Health with responsibility for a range of health policy, planning, infrastructure and strategic reform programs.  Her early role as a physiotherapist at RPA paved the way for a long-term career in health which included leading Health Infrastructure as its interim Chief Executive.  

Recently, Cathryn led the COVID-19 System Planning stream of the Ministry’s coordinated COVID-19 response, which included the establishment of the COVID-19 Clinical Council and Communities of Practice and oversight of the infrastructure planning, in partnership with Health Infrastructure.

Cathryn is passionate about the role of Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, and most importantly its people, in providing world-class patient-centred care for children and young people, and their families.

Dr Joanne Ging was appointed Executive Director Clinical Operations in November 2020.

Joanne has been a practising Paediatrician since 2002 at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, as well as Manning Base Hospital and Hornsby Hospital.

Joanne has worked at SCHN in both clinical and management roles; the Medical Lead at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick and Network Clinical Program Director – CARPA.  Joanne has also been the Network Medical Lead for SCHN Ambulatory Services including Hospital in the Home, Integrated Care and Kids GPS.

Dr Mary McCaskill was appointed Director Medical Services and Clinical Governance in November 2020.

She previously held roles as the Chair of the Medical Staff Council and Director of the Emergency Department at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.  She has been part of the changing landscape of hospital paediatrics in NSW as she trained at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Camperdown, then across NSW and in the US.  She joined the senior staff at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in 1996. 

Mary has a keen interest in the engagement and education of clinical staff across the state - in particular, for the treatment of severe infection or injury.  She is also involved in the development of state-wide systems to respond to paediatric disaster situations.

Adj A/Prof Paula Bray was appointed Director of Research in July 2022, and has been acting in the role since December 2021.

Paula is an accomplished clinical researcher who has worked across clinical, university and research environments. Paula has worked in the Network for 18 years, most recently as Director of Allied Health. Other roles include leading national research teams and developing research strategy. 

Paula is committed to continued success across the breadth and depth of Network research. Paula is focused on improving clinical care through translating discoveries into practice and realising the benefit of a high achieving research-enabled organisation.

Sally is currently the Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Education for the Network and has a deep commitment to enabling people to deliver safe quality care and improve the experience for patients and their families.

Previously Sally was the Director of Nursing for the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick in 2013.

She has 25 years experience in health and has had an extensive career in the NSW Ministry of Health where she held leadership roles in Nursing, Clinical Operations, Research and Education. Sally holds a Bachelor of Nursing, Cardiothoracic Nursing Certificate, Graduate Diploma Cardiothoracic Nursing and a Masters of Health Service Administration.

Bobbi was appointed as Director Allied Health in December 2022.

A Social Worker by background, Bobbi is an Adjunct Fellow at UTS School of Public Health, Certified Health Manager with the Australasian College of Health Service Managers and was the 2017 Australian delegate for the Mt Sinai Social Work Leadership Enhancement Program in New York.
Her most recent role was as Facility Director Allied Health for Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals in the Western Sydney Local Health District.

A dedicated leader to supporting and growing staff, Bobbi has extensive experience in and a strong focus on developing allied health leaders at all levels.

Dr Katherine Knight was appointed Director of Mental Health in October 2021.

Kath is a respected clinician and leader who has been with Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network since 2006.

She provides strategic leadership for mental health services across the Network, focusing on the best care we can offer children and young people.

Kath is dedicated to championing the mental health and wellbeing of children and families and ensuring the safe, equitable and efficient delivery of best practice health care. 

Judy Goldman joined the Network as Director of Communications and Engagement in March 2021.

She started her career as a print and broadcast journalist before moving into the corporate communications sector. Her most recent experience at the Ministry of Health included establishing and managing the strategic media and communications team responsible for implementing an integrated, proactive and reactive response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Judy leads the PR, Branding, Digital and Communications team which focuses on maximising positive communication opportunities and promoting Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), its facilities and associated institutions. The team works collaboratively to strengthen and develop partnerships with the Network’s stakeholders, including staff, patients and families, the community and media regarding health services and issues.

Judy is a highly experienced strategic communications leader who has worked extensively across multiple and diverse stakeholder groups. She leads a team of passionate communication professionals dedicated to supporting the Network’s care for the children of NSW.

Sayeed Zia was appointed as the Director, Finance and Corporate Services for Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network in October 2020.

Sayeed has most recently been the Director, Finance at NSW Health Infrastructure, instrumental in overseeing budgets for an $18 billion infrastructure pipeline.

He has a track record in successfully leading, managing and executing budgets, strategy, risk management and process improvement in NSW Health. He supported Southern NSW Local Health District in the first half of 2020 as the District Director, Finance and Corporate Services where he was responsible for Finance, Performance, Procurement, Supply Chain and Corporate Services.

Sayeed is a motivated leader committed to safe, efficient and sustainable outcomes for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. He holds a bachelor in Sustainable Performance Management from the Manchester Metropolitan University, UK and a Masters in Financial Analysis from the University of New South Wales.

Sayeed is a qualified finance professional and holds qualifications from CPA, Australia and CIMA, UK.

Sam was appointed to the role of Director, People and Culture in February 2020.

Sam was previously the Executive Director, Human Resources and Engagement at the Townsville Hospital and Health Service.

Sam has held similar leadership roles over the last 15 years and has led a number of strategic workforce and culture programs within large complex government and non-government agencies such as Catholic Healthcare, UnitingCare Ageing (NSW/ACT), and the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. 

Sam is an experienced human resources and organisational development leader with a keen passion for service excellence. Sam has been a chartered member of the Australian Human Resources Institute since 1997 and has a Master of Business (Employment Relations) from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Tim has worked across NSW Health in both clinical nursing and operational management positions. Over the last 13 years Tim has transitioned into planning, redesign and redevelopment focused roles.

Tim has qualifications in nursing, health management and public administration and is passionate about transforming the health care system.

Tim joined the Network in 2011 leading the clinical planning and later redesign and integrated care portfolios. In 2016 he was appointed as Director of Planning and since September 2019 has been working as an Executive team member leading planning and redevelopment.

The role leads the planning and redevelopment program across the Network, seeking to utilise the redevelopment program to deliver new models of care and facilities that enables research-led care, education and excellence. Key to the role is fostering deeper partnerships and alliances with precinct partners at Randwick and Westmead in health, education, research and innovation.

Bart Cavalletto was appointed as the Director of Strategy and Innovation for Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network in April 2021.

Bart comes to SCHN after almost eight years as Director, Services at NextSense (formerly the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children), where he led disability, education and health service provision and development nationally. 

Prior to that, Bart spent 30 years in the NSW Health sector as a clinician, manager, and in-service development at both CHW and SCH. Bart was a member of the SCH Executive, before moving to the Ministry of Health, where he led a team with responsibility for strategy, planning, service development, policy, funding, health technology and innovation and Nationally Funded Centres for a range of state-wide services.

Bart is a motivated leader committed to helping SCHN lead the way in sustainable healthcare.

Karen was appointed Director, Aboriginal Health in November 2023. 

Karen is a Mandandanji woman from south west Queensland. She has extensive experience in strategy, policy and practice development, supporting a positive and culturally responsive workforce, and partnering with internal and external stakeholders to achieve positive patient, staff, and organisational outcomes.

As a member of the Network’s Executive Leadership Team, Karen provides professional leadership, as well as guides and informs our services as we improve the experience of Aboriginal children, young people, and their families, and supports us in the Network’s development as a culturally safe organisation and employer of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.