Aged Care CEO scoops top award

The awards set out to acknowledge the efforts of business leaders both new and veteran, and reward those who made a notable difference in the corporate world during the 2015/2016 Financial Year. Nearly 30 of Australia’s most outstanding executives were recognised for their professional contribution over the past year.

Bringing aged care into the spotlight, Prof Cornelissen surpassed the other seven finalists who came from a wide range of industries. These included vitamin, mineral and nutritional supplement manufacturer and distributor Blackmores, integrated creative agency M&C Saatchi Group (Australasia) and Orora Packaging Australia.

Prof Cornelissen joined not-for-profit Mercy Health as CEO in July 2011 and in the last financial year, through his leadership, the organisation has expanded its aged care services nationally, redeveloping current facilities, and is set to open two new facilities in Victoria.

“With a legacy that stretches back to nineteenth-century Dublin, Mercy Health has a long history of caring for the most vulnerable in the community,” says Prof Cornelissen.

“Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the healthcare organisation opened its first Victorian hospital in 1920, originally in response to a flu pandemic. Presently operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the healthcare provider now employs more than 6,000 people, with numbers expected to grow further as it expands its footprint across Australia.”

He has been with the organisation for 12 years, bringing with him decades of experience in healthcare. Stephen is passionate about the work Mercy Health does and the compassionate ethos that drives the organisation and its employees. ”I have been in the healthcare industry my whole life, ranging from roles in community health to child and adolescent mental health,” Mr Cornelissen says.

Commenting on the awards, Chris Dutton, founder and CEO of The CEO Magazine says, “Wading and choosing your way through the finalists to pick a winner proves to be so difficult every year we host these awards. The quality, excellence and ability of these leaders is outstanding. They are all deserving recipients of these awards and we congratulate all of them.”

The panel of experts who debated and ultimately decided the winners for each category were: Naomi Simson, Founder, RedBalloon; Scott Stavretis, CEO, Acquire BPO; Mark van Dyck, Managing Director APAC, Compass Group; John Karagounis, CEO, The CEO Circle; Chris Dutton, CEO, The CEO Magazine; and Daniel Di Loreto, Managing Director, The CEO Magazine.

The other winners and runners up can be found on the CEO Magazine website.