Newly appointed St John of God Foundation Chief Executive, Bianca Pietralla. Photo: Supplied.
St John of God Foundation has appointed Bianca Pietralla as its new Chief Executive in late August 2018 after acting in the position since December 2017.
Ms Pietralla said her focus in the role is to deliver a secure future for fundraising and philanthropy at St John of God Health Care, for the benefit of patients, their families, and ultimately all Australians.
Dr Shane Kelly, St John of God Health Care Group Chief Executive and Foundation Board Chair, said Ms Pietralla had significant senior level experience in marketing, communications and community development, and has already had a positive impact in the role.
“Bianca and the Foundation team have a number of projects underway, including a review of the Foundation’s market positioning, development of core community fundraising programs for our hospitals, and building strong philanthropic relationships with our organisation,” Dr Kelly said.
“I look forward to Bianca leading our Foundation into the future to continue our philanthropic and fundraising efforts.”
Ms Pietralla said it was exciting to be at the helm of St John of God Foundation with significant opportunities ahead to increase its impact by collaborating with those who share its vision of a greater future for advancing the health of the nation, with St John of God patients, their treatment options and outcomes, at its core.
St John of God Foundation is a registered not-for-profit charity that Ms Pietralla said had a defining and important purpose.
“There are complex healthcare sector disruptions including a challenging private health market despite an ageing population, and it’s crucial that our hospitals and services not only invest in their current operations but future advancements in health such as medical research, expanded patient services and the latest state-of-the-art technology, for the benefit of all Australians,” she said.
St John of God Health Care is well placed to play a leadership role in advancing health care as one of Australia’s largest Catholic not-for-profit healthcare organisations with a strong focus on hospital services, and provider of compassionate care to more than 300,000 patients each year.
“It is no longer the case that government and private health fees alone can cover all the research, services and technology advancements Australia needs to provide world-class clinical care for patients,” Ms Pietralla added.
“We absolutely need the support of philanthropists, the corporate sector and the collective of individuals in our communities to work in partnership with us to achieve this goal.”
A key emphasis of her leadership will be enabling philanthropic relationships to flourish by increasing how the corporate, individual and philanthropic community can get involved.