Villa Maria Catholic Homes announces new CEO

The merger of the two organisations remains subject to the approval of Villa Maria’s members which will be put to a meeting of the members on 28 October.

“Greg Pullen is an outstanding leader in the aged care field and we have full confidence in his ability to lead Villa Maria Catholic Homes, focused on aged care, specialist education and disability services,” says Peter Hogan, Villa Maria president.

Mr Pullen says he has a clear vision for the future of the merged entity.

“Villa Maria Catholic Homes, as we have determined the merged organisation will be named, will use benefits of scale to create a better outcome for the people we support, our staff, our stakeholders and the community in general,” Mr Pullen says.

“Merging the two organisations will deliver a greater depth and breadth of innovative, quality services to those supported by both organisations and increase capacity to invest into areas of need, such as social housing and disability services,” he says.

Mr Pullen has led Catholic Homes since February 2013. Prior to his appointment, he worked in a range of executive positions within the Victorian public health sector for 33 years.

The announcement comes as the two organisations continue to work towards their future as a merged entity.

Mr Hogan paid tribute to current Villa Maria chief executive, Valerie Lyons, who is taking up a new role outside the merged entity.

“Mr Lyons has led Villa Maria for more than seven years, and we are truly indebted to her for her strong leadership and her tremendous passion for our sector and those we support. She will always be part of the Villa Maria family and we wish her well in her next challenge,” Mr Hogan says.

Ms Lyons has agreed to stay in place for the next three months to ensure an orderly and smooth transition.

Earlier this year, Catholic Homes chair, Peter Collery, outlined the benefits of the merger.

“It is understandable that two Catholic organisations doing similar work are so closely aligned. This proposed merger will make two strong organisations even stronger, and enable us to continue to grow and develop services.

“We’re here to make a difference to people’s lives. Our communities are the heart and soul of our organisations and this decision is about delivering the best possible outcomes for the people we support now and into the future,” he says.

Mr Collery adds that while the merger process develops, all services and programs will continue to operate as normal at Villa Maria and Catholic Homes.

The merged entity will be governed by a board comprised of equal representation from the current boards of both organisations. Further information on board composition will be announced in the near future.