Leading Healthy Change That Lasts

 

This week's PBA Changemaker is Julia Davison AM. Julia is Chair of the Maggie Beer Foundation and a highly respected leader across Australia's health, education, philanthropy and social impact sectors. Over a distinguished career spanning more than three decades, she has served as CEO of Flinders Medical Centre, WorkCover SA and Goodstart Early Learning, while also chairing organisations including Cape York Girl Academy, Catherine House and the Coaxial Foundation.

Currently a director of the Paul Ramsay Foundation, Julia brings deep expertise in governance, systems reform and social impact. In 2023, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to children, young people and the community. Through her leadership, Julia continues to champion practical solutions that improve lives and create lasting change across generations.

Describe your career trajectory and how you got to your current position.

I started my career in health and I'm very grateful for the broad experience I had as a graduate trainee in the National Health Service in the UK. I worked in operational roles, policy roles, on major reform agendas, on controversial hospital closures, on the first public-private partnership, led crisis management during the London bombings, and learnt a lot about the challenges of workforce shortages driven by low pay and high cost of living.

I then took a year out and completed the mid-career Master's program at the Harvard Kennedy School. I studied alongside students from 65 different countries, which gave me a much broader perspective on the social, economic and political challenges around the world and the different ways people were tackling them.

I learnt about advocacy and influence, systems change and the potential of social enterprise. But most importantly, I had the privilege of studying adaptive leadership with Ronald Heifetz, which I now realise has had a profound impact on my approach.

I became CEO of Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia at the age of 38. I had no idea how to be a CEO but learned on the job with help from my peers, mentor and colleagues. I certainly couldn't have survived without my husband's PhD in psychology and hours of coaching support.

After five years as a teaching hospital CEO, I led the turnaround of the South Australian Workers' Compensation scheme, which made me more commercial and taught me how to work with government to deliver legislative reform. It was a tough gig, but one that prepared me well for my next role as the founding CEO of Goodstart Early Learning.

The role at Goodstart was my dream job — the opportunity to have impact at scale, improving quality and inclusion across 700 early learning centres while also influencing the broader policy agenda.

Alongside my executive career, I have been involved in and chaired several boards, including Cape York Girl Academy, Catherine House and the Coaxial Foundation.

Today, I sit on the Paul Ramsay Foundation Board, Chair the Maggie Beer Foundation Board and undertake CEO coaching, primarily in the social sector, including through the SILA program.

I love learning new things and bringing my experience and curiosity to new challenges.

What drives you to do the work that you do?

The people I work with, the impact the work has, and a strong sense of optimism that things can change for the better.

If you could go back in time, what piece of advice would you give yourself as you first embarked on your career?

I would say to myself:

"Back yourself; trust your judgement."

Any words you live by day to day?

"No money, no mission – more money, more mission" was part of my mantra at Goodstart.

We needed to be financially stable to survive, and the more surplus we could generate, the more we could reinvest in our social impact agenda. I think the phrase applies to many, if not all, not-for-profit organisations and reinforces the importance of maintaining a strong focus on finances.

Another principle I return to often is:

"You may not be able to control what is happening, but you can control how you react to it."

A coach once shared this sentiment with me and it has stayed with me, especially during challenging times when people often look to leaders to see how they are responding.

What are you currently watching, reading or listening to?

I am going to see the opera The Drover's Wife tonight at Brisbane's new Glasshouse Theatre, and I'm really looking forward to it. Grand opera traditions combined with Leah Purcell's contemporary First Nations storytelling. I'm sure it will be confronting, just like the film, but it is important to understand our shared history.

On a lighter note, I am watching ABC Portrait Artist of the Year. Maggie Beer's huge portrait hanging in her home in the Barossa inspired me to watch it.

And of course, I have recently watched Maggie's Big Mission, which I would encourage everyone to watch on ABC iview. Her passion and determination to ensure older people have access to good food is truly contagious.