Our people
In 2024, Bendigo Community Health Services adopted a new organisational structure to support our new strategic plan.
Leadership team
The following health professionals are driving a continuation of 50 years of care for the community.
Mandy Hutchinson
Chief Executive Officer
About Mandy
Mandy is an experienced community health executive, having been CEO at Northern District Community Health for 6 years before joining BCHS. Mandy was also Director Community Wellbeing at Gannawarra Shire Council.
Mandy believes the key to success is to develop meaningful and visionary partnerships with stakeholders. Mandy is known for her positivity and skills at building and maintaining authentic, respectful partnerships, and is passionate and practised at creating a resilient, inclusive and dynamic work culture that celebrates success, innovation, hard work, and where people are respected for their contribution and skill.
Mandy is an advocate for improving health and wellbeing outcomes for regional and rural communities utilising a place-based service development approach coupled with research designed to influence much needed community sector change.
Mandy is a founding member and current Chair of the Alliance of Rural and Regional Community Health (ARRCH), aimed at reducing health inequity in rural and regional Victoria.
Naveen Tenneti
Chief Operating Officer
About Naveen
Naveen is a Public Health Physician. He also holds appointments as Clinical Unit Head at the Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit at Bendigo Health, Board Director at Benalla Health, and as an Adjunct Associate Professor at La Trobe Rural Health School. He has previously held senior executive roles across the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and Department of Health and as a Research Fellow at the Nossal Institute for Global Health and the Grattan Institute. Naveen is committed to building strong health systems underpinned by a social determinants approach.
Dale Hardy
Executive Leader Community Partnerships & Integration
About Dale
Bio to come
Cathy Gaskell
Executive Leader Corporate Services
About Cathy
Bio to come
Christine Gibbins
Operations Manager Primary Health Services
About Christine
With nearly 30 years of experience in primary care nursing, Christine has built a distinguished career that encompasses clinical practice, management, leadership, consulting, and education.
Christine’s expertise spans various roles, including leadership positions in healthcare organisations where she has successfully implemented innovative care models and enhanced team performance. As a consultant, she has worked with diverse healthcare teams to optimise operations and elevate patient care standards.
Christine is also a respected lecturer, sharing her knowledge of primary care with other healthcare professionals. She is known for her engaging teaching style and ability to inspire students to pursue excellence in this field.
Throughout her career, Christine has been dedicated to advocating for patient-centred care. Her commitment to lifelong learning and professional development reflects her belief in the importance of adapting to the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
Cilla Boucher
Operations Manager, Mental Health/Alcohol & Other Drugs Services
About Cilla
Cilla has cultivated a diverse expertise spanning 25 years in cardiovascular health, mental health, alcohol and other drugs, and women’s health — all approached through a public health lens. A significant portion of Cilla’s career was spent in Darwin, addressing the unique healthcare challenges faced by remote and Indigenous populations.
Cilla has worked in leadership roles for the past 15 years. Before commencing at BCHS, she worked at Bendigo Health Mental Health and Wellbeing Services, where she led the implementation of the Royal Commission into Mental Health and Wellbeing across the Loddon Mallee region. Prior to this, she served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Northern Territory Department of Health Strategy Unit.
More recently, Cilla has obtained qualifications, and a deep interest, in service design, service experience and transformational change management, which drives her passion for improving the experiences and health outcomes of any person requiring support with their mental health and substance use or addiction.
Cilla is dedicated to collaborating with like-minded professionals who share her unwavering commitment to achieving greater health equity – preferably with a with a fresh cup of tea in hand to help inspire meaningful conversations and connections!
Julie Cairns
Operations Manager Family Services
About Julie
Bio to come
Board of Directors
We are governed by a Board of passionate, professional people dedicated to improving health equity.
Melanie Eddy
About Melanie
CPA. Owner of a small business with 28 years’ experience in public practice advising small business in all areas of business management. Extensive community activities through sporting clubs and coaching with representation on the Relay for Life Committee Bendigo and Echuca (Committee member), Apex Lions Madison Committee (Treasurer), St Francis of the Fields Primary School (Board member), St Francis of the Fields Primary School Parents and Friends (Committee member), St Francis of the Fields Netball club (Treasurer), Storm Junior netball club (Treasurer),Priests retirement foundation Sandhurst committee member and Bendigo Diggers (Board member), Finance Council of the Diocese of Sandhurst (Committee member) and the Gianna Centre (Treasurer).
Vicki Pearce
About Vicki
NFP Community and Business Advisor; MAICD, F Fin. Director, Treasurer and Trustee Bendigo Art Gallery Board; Treasurer, Ulumbarra Foundation Inc. Committee member of Greater Bendigo against Family Violence and Co-Chair AICD Loddon Mallee Regional Forum. Past Chair BCHS; Past Trustee, National Gallery of Victoria; Former director Foundation Housing Ltd. Perth and Curtin University School of Economics and Finance Advisory Board. Leadership and Management positions in Banking and Finance.
Lauren Bean
About Lauren
Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors and Columbia Business School executive education program. MA in communications from RMIT. Past directorships include Bendigo Cemetery Trust, Bendigo TAFE, Community Sector Bank and Community 21. Currently a General Manager at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, previously held CEO and leadership roles in the community, commercial media and financial services sectors.
Ellyse McNish
About Ellyse
Bachelor of Business (Marketing), Graduate Certificate of Business Administration, 2022 Loddon Murray Community Leadership Graduate.
Currently managing marketing focused on recruiting and retaining of equity groups into higher education degrees. Board member of the Bendigo Football Netball League. Member of the Bendigo Education Plan Committee.
Michael Carney
About Michael
Bachelor of Physiotherapy (University of Melbourne); Master of Business Administration Executive (RMIT). Registered Physiotherapist (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). Various management roles in health including aged care and occupational rehabilitation, with current position as Regional Partner of allied health group Healthia. Extensive community activities formerly through sporting clubs and now local school community.
Robert Holian
About Robert
Bachelor of Biomedicine, Doctor of Medicine, Fellow of the Australian College of General Practitioners. Currently working as a general practitioner in Bendigo. Supervisor of GP registrars.
Larissa Seymour
About Larissa
Graduate Australian institute of Company Directors (GAICD), Postgraduate Diploma Psychology (PGDipPsych), Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSCPsych) Diploma of Population Health (DipPH), Diploma of Community Development (DipCD). Larissa has 15 years’ experience as a company director in the health sector. Having contributed to both state and federal policy development and implementation; Larissa has managed a range of public health policy responses within non-profit organisations, Primary Health Networks, and state government branches. Specifically, local, regional, and statewide service planning, commissioning and implementation across mental health, AoD, housing and Covid-19 initiatives. Larissa’s work is currently focused on implementing key recommendations from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.
Andrew Lovett
About Andrew
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (1995). University of Melbourne. Bachelor of Medical Science (1995). University of Melbourne. Masters in Health Economics, Policy and Management (2018) London School of Economics. Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (2003). Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors. Fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Management. Worked as a paediatrician for 9 years at Goulburn Valley Health in Shepparton, then as Clinical Director of Paediatrics followed by Clinical Director of Women’s and Children’s Health at Bendigo Health over another 9 years. Now works between Eastern Health (as Clinical Program Director for Women and Children) in Melbourne, Bendigo Health and his private paediatric practice in Bendigo.
Abhishek Awasthi
About Abhishek
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Lean Six Sigma (Yellow Belt) International ISO18404 Certificate, Company Directors Course, Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Master of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Bachelor of Technology (Engineering). President, Indian Association of Bendigo Inc.; Chair, Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services; Chair, LEAD Loddon Murray; Member, Bendigo Interfaith Council; Member, Regional Advisory Committee AICD; Member, Rural and Regional Advisory Committee, FECCA; Member, Regional Advisory Council; Victorian Multicultural Commission; Multicultural Community Ambassador, AFL; Manager, Student Engagement and Retention – Bendigo Kangan Institute (Bendigo TAFE and Kangan Institute); Director eiConsulting; and Student Engagement and Transition Officer, La Trobe University.
