Vision 2020 appoints new CEO

Ms Northam joins the organisation after nearly five years as CEO of national peak body Family Day Care Australia, where she was said to have significantly grown the organisation’s profile and mbership.According to Vision 2020, Ms Northam possesses a highly developed political acumen and has extensive experience engaging with the Federal Government on advocacy issues on behalf of mbers , as evidenced by her former appointment to the Ministerial Advisory Council for Child Care and Early Learning. Ms Northam’s track record as a leader of a large peak body, her expansive career in managent and understanding of advocacy is impressive, Vision 2020 Australia chair Ms Amanda Vanstone commented.She noted that Ms Northam’s health sector background – gained through her senior roles at the Vision Eye Institute and Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute – would be highly valued in her new role. Ms Northam was chosen from a strong field of excellent candidates. Her strong collaborative leadership style, commercial business experience and ability to grow the organisation’s reach make her an ideal candidate to lead Vision 2020 Australia into its next phase, Ms Vanstone added.Commenting on her appointment, Ms Northam said she was honoured and excited to be selected to lead Vision 2020, stating that her goal would be to build on Vision 2020 Australia’s profile and ensure the viability and sustainability of the organisation well into the future . I am really moved by the organisation’s strong vision and mission to eliminate avoidable blindness and vision loss and am looking forward to collaborating with mbers to help achieve this goal, she said.Ms Northam replaces outgoing CEO Ms Jennifer Gersbeck, who has taken up the position of director of global partnerships and advocacy at The Fred Hollows Foundation.