Fiona Hawthorne
Fiona is a seasoned leadership consultant with expertise spanning various domains. Over her extensive career, she has honed her skills in healthcare delivery, navigating complex ethical scenarios as an ethicist, and excelling in roles such as an academic, prenatal genetic counselor, patient safety advisor, General Manager, and CEO.
In her capacity as the General Manager of Palliative Care Services for a prominent not-for-profit organisation, Fiona spearheaded the development, inauguration, and operation of Queensland’s exclusive children’s hospice, Hummingbird House. Additionally, she orchestrated the revitalisation of Hopewell Hospice, an adult hospice on the Gold Coast. These achievements culminated in Fiona successfully leading a team of over 125 individuals.
Widely recognised as a strategically astute and highly regarded senior executive, Fiona is known for her motivational leadership, meticulous planning, and optimistic outlook. Her background includes establishing services, defining new strategic and operational horizons, facilitating transitions, and successfully planning or implementing projects. Fiona is celebrated for her effective compassionate leadership, expertise in stakeholder engagement, strategic review, and operational refinement.
With an impressive career spanning more than 25 years in leadership positions, Fiona has excelled in diverse sectors, including startups, public service, health, governance, and ethics. She has held significant roles on senior boards, currently serving as the Chair of Metro Arts in Brisbane. Fiona also holds a specialist position on the Queensland Regional Selection Committee, contributing to the annual selection of Churchill Fellows.
Known for her emotional maturity and a reputation for motivating teams to achieve high performance, Fiona seamlessly integrates her extensive board and senior management experience into her consulting practice. This approach ensures the success and thriving of projects, teams, and communities
Areas of Expertise
Crisis planning, response & management
Strategic thinking from a systems-wide approach
Supporting teams as they work towards a new strategic horizon
Healthcare start-up, accreditation & operations
Critical Friend review of operational processes
Culture re-set and refinement
Optimising opportunities, chances and choices within career movements
“It is rare to work with an individual with such meaningful impact. Fiona can expertly read a room and a crisis, and shepherd individuals and organisations safely and effectively through to a safe harbour.”
“With her general managerial and clinical background, she can analyse and provide expert advice on both healthcare and unrelated matters. Such advice is likely to be clearly presented, comprehensive, yet concise, and she implements change through effective communication and teamwork.”
“Fiona demonstrates impressive habits of mind and is notable for her ability to proactively identify risk (both the individual and organizational) and to develop effective response strategies and processes for mitigation.”
-Testimonials from clients