The Benevolent Society announces complete restructuring of charity

Jo Toohey, CEO of The Benevolent Society, has announced a restructure of Australia’s first and longest running charity.

Toohey outlined how the organisation will focus on becoming a leading provider of services to support children, families, older people and people with a disability.

“The new organisational structure will deliver on The Benevolent Society’s next three-year strategic plan,” Toohey said.

“We have over 1000 staff working in 55 locations across NSW and Queensland. Our operational revenue was $97.7 million in 2015 and we plan to double that by 2019.

“The changes are in response to reforms in the aged care and disability sectors that will present opportunities for service growth and potential collaboration with like-minded organisations.”

Toohey said The Benevolent Society will need to reorganise how they work, be more agile and be more strategic in their focus.

The new organisational structure will include a new executive structure to take effect from 1st June.

“We are now working in a highly competitive environment where consumers can choose from a vast array of service providers,” said Toohey.

“The changes provide us an opportunity to flourish by leveraging our reputation earned over two centuries, working tirelessly for social justice and supporting vulnerable people.

“The Benevolent Society has a long history of supporting families with the provision of women’s and children’s health and aged care services.”

Toohey said while some growth is expected to come organically, the charity will be actively seeking merger, acquisition and partnership opportunities.

“Our new business model will focus on growing our market share in consumer home care across Australia, including regional and remote communities from early next year,” said Toohey.

“Our work on how older Australians and those with a disability contribute to the richness of our community and economy remains steadfast. We aim to play a stronger role in shifting the current policy debate focussed on costs and burdens to empowerment and ability.

“The new structure has been designed to ensure we have the right leadership and capability over the next three years to focus on supporting our service delivery and operations, and delivering on critical components of our strategy.”