After careful consideration and a thorough 12-month recruitment process, the Vision Australia Board is pleased to welcome David Williamson as the new Vision Australia CEO.
David brings extensive leadership experience across the disability, aged care, and health sectors, most recently as Chief Operating Officer of Villa Maria Catholic Homes.
Bill Jolley, Vision Australia Chair, said the Board is confident David’s experience and engaging leadership style will provide the guidance Vision Australia requires as it continues to respond to external challenges.
“Like many organisations in the disability sector, Vision Australia is currently responding to a number of challenges, including economic conditions, increased competition and ongoing funding reform,” Bill said
“The Vision Australia Board believes David’s experience in the sector and leading a large organisation will be pivotal in Vision Australia’s ongoing evolution to be a modern and sustainable organisation,” Bill said.
David also started his career as an occupational therapist, which the Board believes will help him understand the practicalities of Vision Australia’s service delivery model, engage with frontline service providers, and ensure our clients continue to receive the high quality services they deserve.
David will commence the role on Monday, October 20 and lead the organisation from its Melbourne headquarters.
The appointment comes after a highly competitive recruitment process, which received over 500 applications and extensively engaged with candidates who are blind or have low vision and the Board appreciates the involvement and interest in the process from our community.
“Lived experience of blindness or low vision was included as a desirable attribute in the selection criteria, which David possesses. In balancing that with David’s professional skills and experience, the Board strongly believes David is the correct choice,” Bill said.
Caption: David Williamson will join Vision Australia as CEO on Monday, October 20.
In assuming the role, David said he is excited to join an organisation where the lived experience of blindness and low vision is embedded at every level and is committed to the career progression and growth of both current and future blind and low vision employees, as well as working alongside the broader Vision Australia workforce in carrying out the organisation’s mission.
In announcing the appointment, Bill also paid tribute to Justine Heath, who has filled the Acting CEO role for more than 12 months.
“Justine’s contribution in the Acting CEO role has been immense and the Board extends a sincere thanks on behalf of the entire organisation for her leadership and commitment during the time in the role.
“Justine’s leadership ensured Vision Australia has continued to deliver on its mission of supporting people who are blind or have low vision and has also played a key role in the advancement of a new strategy to support the organisation to continue to do so in the long-term."
For more information on the appointment, please see Frequently Asked Questions, below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How was the new CEO selected?
A: The Vision Australia Board appointed an executive recruiter to undertake a wide search, supported by Vision Australia’s Affirmative Action policy as a guiding principle. The recruitment process was open to people who were:
- Internal and external to Vision Australia and;
- Blind, have low vision, or are sighted.
As always under our Affirmative Action Policy, lived experience of blindness or low vision was highly valued and we actively removed barriers commonly experienced by blind and low vision applicants in the recruitment process.
The recruitment process was also open to international candidates and in total more than 500 applications were received.
Q: Why did the recruitment process take so long?
A: The Vision Australia Board extended the CEO search to both external and internal candidates who were blind, low vision or sighted. Due to the extent of the search, the importance of the task and the number of applicants that were received, the Board was committed to a thorough process to identify the successful candidate.
Q: Where can I provide feedback about this announcement?
A: Vision Australia is committed to continuous development and is open to hearing constructive feedback from the community. You can submit your feedback via our online feedback form.