Chief Executive Officer

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Established Private Business | Three Retirement Communities | Melbourne
Strategy • Commercial Leadership • Property • People • Innovation

Some CEO opportunities are about fixing what's broken.
This one isn't.

Sawyer Sourcing has been exclusively engaged to appoint the next Chief Executive Officer of an established and successful privately owned Melbourne business operating three significant retirement living communities comprising approximately 600 residences.

After more than two decades of founder leadership, the business is entering an important new chapter.

The foundations are strong. The communities are established. There is an experienced team and a successful operating business.

The opportunity for the incoming CEO is to take the reins, protect what works and determine what comes next.

The Opportunity
Reporting to the Board, you will assume responsibility for the strategic, financial, commercial and operational performance of the organisation.

This is a genuine whole-of-business leadership role encompassing finance, operations, property and asset performance, sales, people, governance, risk and resident experience.

You will lead an established management team while working through a carefully planned transition with the Founder.
Just as importantly, the Board wants someone prepared to challenge the status quo.

With the existing communities mature and established, future growth does not necessarily mean simply building more of the same.
What opportunities exist around the current resident communities?
What complementary services could add value? Could partnerships, acquisitions, new service offerings or entirely new opportunities form part of the next chapter?

We are looking for someone curious enough to ask the questions and commercially disciplined enough to know which answers are worth pursuing.

What You Will Bring

You may already be a CEO, or you could be an accomplished COO, General Manager, Commercial Director, CFO/COO or senior property executive ready to step into your first CEO appointment.
Retirement living experience would be useful, but it is not essential.

We are interested in executives from property, retirement and community living, healthcare, aged care, accommodation, residential development and other multi-site or asset-intensive businesses.

What matters more is your breadth.

You will ideally demonstrate:

• Strong commercial and financial acumen with confidence around P&L, budgets, forecasting, cash flow, capital allocation and business cases
• Senior operational leadership and the ability to lead through an experienced management team
• Strategic thinking combined with a genuinely entrepreneurial mindset
• Strong understanding of property, assets and customer-focused businesses
• An ability to identify, assess and implement new commercial opportunities
• Sound understanding of contracts, governance, risk and regulatory environments
• Experience leading and developing high-performing people
• The emotional intelligence and judgement required to successfully transition an established founder-led business
• Confidence working with a Board while accepting genuine accountability for business performance
• Outstanding communication, negotiation and stakeholder skills

Relevant tertiary qualifications are expected. An MBA or equivalent postgraduate business qualification will be highly regarded, as will qualifications or substantial expertise in finance, accounting, law, property or commerce.

Why Consider It?
Because this is an opportunity to do more than manage someone else's corporate structure.

You will inherit an established business with scale, history and strong foundations, but with the mandate to influence what it becomes next.

For the right senior executive, this could represent the opportunity to make the transition from functional or divisional leadership to genuine enterprise leadership.

The appointment will be supported by a comprehensive executive search and selection process and a structured transition with the Founder and Board.

All enquiries and applications will be treated in strict confidence.

For a confidential discussion, contact Dan Sawyer, Principal Recruitment Consultant, Sawyer Sourcing on 0403 899143