Why aged care boards and HR must look outside the sector for top talent

As aged care providers face tightening regulatory standards and shifting consumer expectations, a strategic pivot at Western Australia’s Amaroo Village offers a powerful blueprint for asset modernisation. By transitioning from fragmented, piecemeal renovations to a comprehensive $2 million full-unit refurbishment program, General Manager Gregory Wenham – a former healthcare megaproject executive – has shown how cross-industry expertise can revitalise aging housing stock. 

“Would you move your mother or father into this unit?”

This is the central tenet of Wenham’s operational philosophy. It’s a question that goes beyond sentimentality – it’s an excellent operational benchmark. 

“If the answer is no,” he expands, “then we’re not doing the right thing.”

With increasing regulatory scrutiny on aged care standards globally, demonstrating a proactive ‘parent-test’ culture is a highly effective way to manage compliance and brand reputation at the same time. Wenham’s shift from minimum compliance to customer-centric quality is an approach other providers could adopt.

Leaders from other industries often bring new insights and innovative solutions

Take, for example, the $2 million refurbishment project Wenham oversaw at Amaroo. It was informed by his expertise delivering some of Australia’s largest hospital projects, including the Royal Adelaide Hospital. 

“Previously they might go into a unit and refurbish the kitchen… so you’d have a 2026 kitchen, but you’d have a 1980s bathroom. You could just see the contrast was crazy,” he said.

Wenham’s leadership was recognised with a nomination for Ageing Australia’s national You Are ACE! Awards, but it’s also a lesson in asset management and long-term cost efficiency. Patchwork renovations often end up costing providers more in ongoing maintenance and create fragmented property values. Amaroo’s full refurbishment makes a strong financial argument for capital expenditure (CapEx) restructuring, rather than adhoc upgrades. 

A leader’s ‘micro-gestures’ cultivate a culture of care

Beyond structural upgrades, the transformation at Amaroo Village underscores the operational value of a hands-on leadership culture. When senior executives model ‘micro-gestures’ – like how Wenham personally checked in on missing resident, 99-year-old Shirley Cook – it sets a cultural standard that trickles down to frontline staff. This directly impacts resident retention and satisfaction. 

For industry leaders, this serves as a reminder that while multi-million-dollar capital investments modernise the physical asset, it’s the visible, human-centric leadership at the top that ultimately drives culture and builds genuine community trust. 

For leadership to thrive, it needs diverse expertise 

Wenham’s arrival highlights a growing industry trend: attracting top-tier talent from complex sectors has the power to drive capital efficiency and improve the standard of living for seniors in residential care. And with one CEO leaving their role in aged care every month, Wenham is a great example of why boards and HR executives need to look outside the traditional aged care talent pool for answers.