Brilliance, spunk and heart – aged care leadership team need business, clinical and empathetic clout

Melissa Argent, Chief Executive of Rockpool, for hello leaders print, read the full version of this article in the sixth print edition here.

Quality leadership is no longer optional

In an industry where the weakest performance affects everyone, Argent is blunt about what is required. Leaders must navigate constant regulatory change, financial strain and workforce pressures, while still delivering quality care. With demand rising and reform accelerating, resilience and pragmatism are now baseline requirements.

‘This could be better’

Argent began her career as a nurse in senior care, quickly sensing inefficiencies.

“There had to be more efficient ways to manage processes and secure improved outcomes.”

While she loved clinical care, she recognised the need to understand the business of care. That curiosity led her from healthcare into finance, including a stint at Westpac. “The traditional model of university wouldn’t set you up for my route; it was an enormous leap from nurse to banker. From a stable role to the completely unknown. I couldn’t have predicted healthcare to Westpac.”

The leap mattered.

“While you can be petrified, you have to go for it.”

Moving the goalposts

That mixed skillset became the foundation of Rockpool, alongside business partners Bill Summers and Michael Watson. Aged care, Argent insists, should never be an industry to “cruise in” but one defined by expectation and excellence. Being approached for acquisition, she suggests, is a meaningful indicator of quality and reputation.

Fire in your gut

Building Rockpool demanded a leadership team deeply committed to the work.

Argent is clear she has “the best team around me…that’s how you dream big and keep pushing the limits of what aged care can be.”

Settling is not an option. Loving the work, committing to the journey, and having conviction matter.

Bridging the skills gap

Argent sees a gap in leadership training, particularly for frontline staff. While compassion and clinical skills are strong, leadership capability often is not.

“Business acumen is critical.” She challenges universities directly: “Where is the business unit? Where is the accounting? Where is the sustainable business principles unit?”

Know the numbers

Profit, Argent argues, is not a dirty word. The sector must be “teaching people the cost and return on investment.”

“This is not a conversation about ripping people off or providing people poor care, this is sounding the alarm on how much of aged care is being run inefficiently…how the sector is delivering aged care is becoming completely unsustainable. How do we all contribute to making that better?”

“There’s no other industry that thinks that profit is bad.”

“It’s being profitable to keep building and investing and pivoting to meet the needs of the future.”

Brilliance and kindness

“You can be an exceptional leader and be kind. Early in my leadership career, I was told, ‘you won’t do well because you don’t have mongrel in you’, to that I said no thanks, you can be a strong leader and be kind. I will never veer from that.”
Argent values challenge and diversity of thinking. “Diversity in brilliance is what makes us say to each other, we are a force to be reckoned with…I love that they challenge me.”

“Spunk is important.” Especially as technology and AI reshape care.

Leading through transition

The decision to sell was not taken lightly. Argent stresses the need for transparency and respect, recognising that what is being sold are people’s homes. The transition is being managed alongside the Regis leadership team, with a shared focus on continuity and staff confidence.

Loving the work matters

“Leaders have to love what you do. If you do not love what you do, and don’t still get the sense of pride of making a difference, then don’t be in the industry.”
When pressure mounts, the Rockpool leadership team stays close to the floor.

“When having a bad day, we go out to one of our homes and are reminded, ‘yup, that’s what I’m here for’.”

What’s next

The Rockpool brand will continue, with key leaders progressing three future sites, including one opening in July 2026.

“We’re almost back in start-up mode,” Argent says, with the acquisition allowing the team “to re-capitalise and build quicker.”

“We’re working to come back bigger and better than ever.”