Executive team

Ms Lisa Blackler was appointed Health Service Chief Executive in April 2024.

Before joining us, Lisa was Group Director of Operations at Te Whatu Ora in New Zealand. Lisa has over 20 years of executive and senior leadership experience in the health sector, including tenure at Gladstone Hospital in Women and Children’s health and Perioperative and Outpatient care.

Her leadership approach is influenced by her clinical experience as a nurse and midwife. She has a reputation as a dynamic, respected and results driven leader, with expertise in leading health service delivery in regional, rural and remote settings.

Lisa is deeply committed to building a high performing team and providing better access to care for Central Queenslanders.

Catherine is a highly experienced senior health executive. She has more than 30 years of leadership experience across regional, rural and remote health systems in New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory.

She most recently served as Deputy Chief Executive of the Northern Territory Regional Health Service. In that role she oversaw a workforce of more than 6,000 and managed a budget over $1.4 billion. Her leadership was pivotal in driving large scale system reforms and commissioning projects.

She also led the integration of services across a wide range of care including acute, sub-acute, primary care, aged care, and mental health.

Catherine brings a wealth of expertise in strategic and operational leadership, governance, and service transformation. Her nursing background drives her commitment to patient centred care. She has a strong vision for sustainable, community focused health services.

Mr Heera Bhullar joined Central Queensland Health in November 2024, bringing a wealth of leadership experience to the organization. Previously, Heera served as General Manager of Planning & Funding at Health NZ, where he led regional health system planning, managing a substantial annual budget and a team of 12 senior leaders.

Prior to this, Heera was Director of Health at Ernst & Young, where he spearheaded healthcare transformation initiatives and provided strategic guidance to executive teams.

His extensive career includes senior roles at Kainga Ora, NZ Health Group, and Counties Manukau Health, where he consistently delivered improvements in healthcare service delivery, quality management, and operational efficiency.

Heera holds an MBA, a master’s in health leadership, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health from the University of Auckland. Additionally, he is certified in Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt and Business Consulting from Harvard Business School.

Rod is a Chartered Accountant (CAANZ) and an experienced senior executive, with an extensive career in health and education.

After 6 years as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) for Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, Rod formed Oxford Associates in 2015 as a specialist third tier consultancy practice.  In the past 10 years, Rod has personally delivered in excess of 60 varying assignments for 26 different clients in Queensland, Victoria and New Zealand, including 12 of Queensland's hospital and health services.

Rod has also assisted 5 other health services as Interim CFO – Cairns and Hinterland, South West, Townsville, North West, and Metro South.

Rod has a sound understanding of the health system and actively engages with senior clinicians and managers.

Rod couples a strong strategic lens with specialist skills in forensics and analysis, financial recovery, efficiency, financial modelling and forecasting.

Dr Benjamin Pearson is a specialist paediatrician with formal training in health service management. He brings experience leading medical services across complex health systems in  New Zealand.

Before joining Central Queensland Health, Ben held several Chief Medical Officer roles across New Zealand. In these roles, he led medical workforce strategy, clinical governance, and worked closely with executive and corporate teams to strengthen clinical operations, workforce capability and patient outcomes.

He is known for his practical and collaborative leadership approach, with a strong background in clinical governance, workforce leadership and service improvement.

Alongside his leadership roles, Ben has held academic and teaching appointments supporting medical education and training.

Mr Andy Carter is a UK-trained Nurse Practitioner with more than 39 years of nursing experience, both as an emergency and trauma nurse and in leadership roles across the United Kingdom and Queensland.

Before joining Central Queensland Health, Andy worked for 21 years in and around London before moving to Australia in 2007, where he has held various hospital leadership roles. He was appointed Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery in April 2025.

Andy is proud to have the privilege of professionally leading the nurses and midwives of Central Queensland Health.

His passion is growing people. His goal is to empower, support and grow nursing and midwifery capability across the health service.

He is driven by education, training and expanding skills, and providing a workplace culture and environment that enables everyone to be their best, give their best and feel safe in the workplace.

Ms Donna Cruickshank started with Central Queensland Health in June 2022 as our first Executive Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing.

Donna's responsible for delivering on the health and wellbeing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Central Queensland. She actively works with our families, communities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health partners.

Before joining us, Donna held leadership and executive positions in NSW Health. She gained broad knowledge in Aboriginal health and workforce.

Her work in Aboriginal employment and cultural education has won NSW Public Sector Awards.

Donna holds a double masters in Health Service Management and Planning.

Ms Shareen McMillan leads a team of 48 who work on key workforce projects, functions and activities including:

• strategic planning for workforce, cultural and organisational change, and organisational development including embedding values and staff recognition programs
• occupational health, safety and wellbeing
• recruitment and attraction
• business assurance and establishment management
• employee and industrial relations
• capability and leadership development programs.

Shareen has also worked in various government agencies, gaining extensive experience in:

• organisational and cultural change and development
• corporate services management and reporting
• training and development
• workplace health and safety
• employee and stakeholder engagement.

She has a degree in Communications, Japanese Language and Tourism, receiving high distinctions and a Japanese language award. She also has a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and Management.

Ms Kerrie-Anne Frakes has more than 20 years' experience in developing, implementing and evaluating innovative models of care and workforce redesign. These have delivered transformational service changes and improved health outcomes.

She has held an executive leadership role in CQ Health for the past 10 years.

Kerrie-Anne was the first public podiatrist in the Central Queensland region, having arrived in 1999 on a Queensland Health Rural Scholarship Graduate for Podiatry.

She has since held strategic leadership roles and operational leadership roles, including Executive Director for the Rockhampton Business Unit, Director of Clinical Support services and Executive Director of Strategy, Transformation and Allied Health.

She has won state and national awards for innovative models of care and has an extensive publication history in chronic disease management and service delivery evaluation. She holds Masters qualifications in Health Administration.

Amy has extensive experience in clinical governance, virtual care, and service design.

She has led national health programs for private health providers, not for profit sectors and statewide services through the Department of Health, including the establishment of Queensland Virtual Hospital. Amy also played a key role in Queensland Health’s COVID-19 response.

Throughout her career, Amy has developed nationally recognised models of care that support safe and equitable access to services across Queensland.

A highly passionate nurse and midwife, she is committed to improving healthcare through innovation, collaboration and practical solutions that make a difference for consumers and communities.