Two of the region’s most experienced not-for-profit leaders have been appointed joint-CEOs of a disability service provider in the rarest of job-sharing arrangements.
Existing 121 Care CEO Kym Chomley has been joined at the helm of the organisation by award-winning executive Feda Adra.
121 Care employs 185 staff and is projected to turn over $12.5 million this year.
121 Care President Faith Baigent was confident the two women would forge a strong relationship to provide the organisation with a robust and sustainable future.
“Feda, the former CEO of Be (formerly ComLink), has a wealth of knowledge and experience in aged and community care that will be of tremendous value when combined with Kym’s extensive experience in disability,” Ms Baigent said.
“Together, Kym and Feda share six decades of senior management experience that are complementary and broaden the skillset that one CEO would traditionally bring to the role.
“Kym’s strengths in accounting, finance, IT, administration and organisational development are complemented by Feda’s strengths in people and culture, resource development, innovation and marketing.
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“CEO job sharing is an extremely rare form of leadership arrangement, done only a handful of times across the world – think Netflix, Oracle and Salesforce to name a few.
“Job sharing is done at lower levels in organisations, but rarely at an executive level, which is what makes this unique and even more exceptional in the not-for-profit sector.
“With Feda on board, we will now have twice the capacity and capability with a broader range of skills and experience that will be of immense value to the business.”
Ms Adra is the founder of Vitality Village, a health and wellbeing hub which is the first of its kind in Australia.
“121 Care will also be moving in to the new hub later this month and the team looks forward to working in collaboration with the other villagers at Vitality.”
Co-CEO Kym Chomley said COVID-19 saw organisations like 121 Care realise the importance of being adaptive, flexible and creative through a continuously changing environment.
“This pandemic has taught us that we need to future-proof our business to withstand disruptions in an already crowded space, to continue as before would be foolhardy,” Ms Chomley said.
“CEOs have their work cut out for them. They need to focus on strategies to balance the immediate needs of the customers, employees and the communities they serve, with the need to be sustainable.
“By including a second CEO, we are preparing for the future, and I couldn’t think of a better person to share the role with than Feda. Our skills are very complimentary, we share similar values and have a mutual respect for one another.”
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Ms Adra agrees.
“Not all businesses would consider a role share like we have, but it is worth considering when you look at the benefits it brings. But for it to work, the parties in the chair must have aligned values, good communication and respect for one another,” she said.
“I would like to acknowledge the committee for placing their trust in us and for their progressive approach in determining the best outcome for the organisation.”
121 Care’s annual turnover has grown from $2 million in 2013, when the organisation was only delivering in-home supports for people with spinal injuries on the Sunshine Coast.
This year, the business is projected to turn over $12.5 million through the delivery of a wider range of services across southeast Queensland that include in-home support services, supported accommodation, supported independent living and support coordination services for people with physical, intellectual and psychosocial disabilities.
