Ovarian Cancer Australia Set for Significant Growth

With four years of steady growth, Not for Profit organisation, Ovarian Cancer Australia is set to almost double its workforce.

Currently OCA, the peak national body for ovarian cancer research, has nine staff members (6.2 FTE). However, with revenue targeted to rise from $1.3 million to $5 million, the peak body is about to embark on a recruitment drive that will boost those numbers to 15 (13.3 FTE), with key operating roles including a General Manager in Finance and Operations, and a Manager for Fundraising and Development.

Chief Operating Officer Annabel Davies said strong growth in the past three to four years in community funding and revenue had allowed the peak organisation the opportunity to invest more resources into their strategic plan.

“We had the appointment of our CEO (Alison Amos) last November who has been working on our new strategic plan which has recently been released,” she said.

The 2013-2016 strategic plan is aligned under six pillars:  

• Stewardship: Good governance guides for responsible planning and the effective management of our resources to achieve goals;    

• Growth:  Solid foundations for the growth that is essential to work towards our vision, preserving the inspirational aims of founders and drawing on the strength of its community;  

• Support: Help for women with ovarian cancer and their families, friends and carers to build resilience by connecting them to our community and by providing compassionate support programs, high-quality information and practical resources;

• Awareness: Educating women and the community to recognise and act with urgency on the symptoms of ovarian cancer and to understand and access best practice diagnosis, treatment and support;

• Advocacy: Amplifying the voices of women with ovarian cancer and provide expert views and evidence to demand action and funding to raise community awareness, improve equitable access to best practice diagnosis, treatment and support and increase the ovarian cancer research effort;

• and, research: Supporting excellence in ovarian cancer research and fund research that will improve the quality of life and survival of women with ovarian cancer.

Davies said the body was also working towards a national action plan for ovarian cancer research, led by the CEO, to determine what ovarian cancer research areas were priorities for investment.

“Our CEO will consult with the research and medical sector to find out what they think we should be working towards and where investment would be best directed to make the greatest impact on diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer and quality of life for women diagnosed,” she said.

Davies said they hoped to launch the national action plan for ovarian cancer research next August.

OCA’s transformation also includes doubling its board to eight board members, and the formation of Audit, Finance and Risk, and Fundraising, Marketing and Development Committees.

Other appointments will include Manager of Research, Policy and Advocacy, and a Support Programs Officer.

Once the GM Finance and Operations role is appointed they will also appoint an Administration Officer, Accounting Assistant and Volunteer Co-ordinator to report to the General Manager.

Ovarian Cancer Australia was founded in 2001 by a group of people who were personally affected by ovarian cancer, either themselves or through someone that they loved.

This group included Nicole Livingstone OAM and her sister Karen, who lost their mother and aunt to the disease; Simon Lee, whose wife Sheila had been the first Australian ovarian cancer campaigner prior to her death in 2001; Denise Hynes, who was living with ovarian cancer and died in 2004; and actress and comedian Lynda Gibson who was diagnosed in 2000 and subsequently died in 2004.  Ovarian Cancer Australia now has supporters across Australia.