General News
26 February, 2026
Familiar faces to lead
ABERLEA has announced a significant executive restructure, promoting two familiar leaders as the organisation prepares for the next phase of aged care reform and regional growth.
The Mortlake and Timboon based provider – which operates a 40-bed residential aged care facility in Mortlake, 10 independent living units at Dan Brumley Homes and five independent living units in Timboon – has formally adopted a dual general manager model following the planned departure of chief executive officer David Knight later this year.
Under the new structure, the traditional CEO role has been replaced with two executive positions reporting directly to the board, with Leonie Kelly named general manager care and quality and Amanda Gaudion named general manager operations.
The restructure reflects a deliberate governance review undertaken by the board in partnership with advisory and executive management firm Leading Healthcare, which has supported Aberlea through strategic planning, compliance alignment under the new Aged Care Act and long-term organisational positioning.
Leading Healthcare managing director Adam Sevdalis said the decision followed extensive review work.
“After some internal review we proposed, and the board has accepted, Leonie Kelly as the general manager of care and quality and Amanda Gaudion as general manager of operations,” he said.
“We’ve split the CEO role into two, divesting the tasks and responsibilities across two senior roles rather than the one which falls into clinical and non-clinical.
“I think this will set up the organisation for greater executive coverage and greater focus.”
Rather than recruiting externally into a single executive position, the board opted to strengthen internal leadership capability — aligning executive accountability with the increasingly complex regulatory and operational environment facing aged care providers.
Board member Morris Clarke said the board was confident the restructure would continue to move Aberlea in a positive direction – building around trusted, qualified staff rather than an easier-said-than-done task of looking further afield to recruit a new chief executive officer.
“We’ve been in a situation where we’ve had to move forward with the executive we have to try and grow from within,” he said.
“The industry is changing and we’re a small facility in a small country town – we have to look at ways of consolidating ourselves.
“For us this is about working with the staff we have, who have the skills we need to move forward.”
Mr Sevdalis said the restructure had been contemplated for some time, particularly as compliance, governance and operational demands under the new Act expanded significantly.
“It was pretty obvious, over the past couple of years, that the tasks and responsibilities bestowed on the CEO are hard to replace in regional areas and hard for one person to manage on their own – which is why we looked to produce this executive shift, together,” he said.
“It’s a bit of a thing of mine to promote from within, but you must have the right personnel – you can’t promote for the sake of promoting.
“You have to put some budget behind it because training is investment – which we’re doing – but when you demonstrate a genuine culture of opportunity, people can see a pathway to grow.”
As part of the transition, a comprehensive executive development and governance program has commenced, and Leading Healthcare has extended its advisory arrangement to continue supporting the board and the new general managers in strategy, governance, financial stewardship and long-term planning.
Ms Kelly said her focus would remain unchanged – ensuring Aberlea provides a high quality of care.
“It’s exciting to take Aberlea into its next era, both clinically and operationally to make sure our residents are taken care of,” she said.
“That’s the main focus, and has always been my main focus, because our residents are our number one.
“Being able to provide good clinical care to them with my experience of 20 years.
“Hopefully we can continue to build on what we’ve done because it’s the main reason we’re here – keeping it local and giving people the care they need.
“It’s something small communities don’t always have so if we can keep it here in Mortlake and try to give back to the community, why not?”
Ms Gaudion said success in her role went hand in hand with ensuring Aberlea remained in a strong position to provide care.
“The role will be to support Leonie in providing that care through the operations of business,” she said.
“That includes what happens at our Mortlake aged care facility, in the independent living units or with compliance to ensure we’re meeting the requirements of the new Act which came in last year.
“It’s exciting for what the future will bring.
“It’s a great opportunity to provide aged care services into the Mortlake community, potentially beyond what we’re currently doing.”
The restructure also positions Aberlea to advance its long-term masterplan across Mortlake and Timboon, which includes redevelopment, expansion and modernisation initiatives aimed at future-proofing aged care services in the region.
As Western District Newspapers reported in November 2025, Aberlea is exploring staged expansion projects across its sites, supported by a broader strategic workshop process scheduled for March.
“We’ve got big plans for an organisation this size,” Mr Sevdalis said.
“Not only do we have a masterplan but we’ve got a series of strategy workshops commencing in March.
“We’ve got options on how we want to grow our scale, and it’s not just single focused but a multi-layered approach – be that people living in their own small homes or people in aged care not necessarily always living in this facility.
“Our strategy is something we’re already enacting down at Timboon – five units are about to become six units, hopefully one day that becomes 13 units, and then we’ve got some further ideas for stage three in mind.
“Timboon is just as important to us in terms of being a great little retirement village which supports Aberlea in Mortlake.”
Mr Sevdalis said early indications were positive and there was strong confidence in the leadership team now in place.
“I think it bodes well to the structure we’ve got here – we have Leading’s commercial lens, Leonie’s clinical quality and care focus and Amanda’s operational expertise on which all of this hinges,” he said.
“We provide 24-hour accommodation so this isn’t just about care, it’s about their lifestyle because this is their home.
“It’s what we aim to foster and care for at Aberlea – to provide for a lasting legacy in this region.”