It was a day to remember as leaders from across NSW Trustee and Guardian came together at the International Convention Centre in Sydney for our annual Leadership Forum. This year’s theme was ‘Leadership that makes a difference’.
CEO Brian Woods set the tone for the day by reflecting on the important role leaders play in shaping culture, supporting their people and delivering better outcomes for customers. While highlighting the significant progress already made across the organisation, including reducing backlogs and improving service delivery, Brian emphasised that our continued success will depend on leaders guiding their teams through the important transformation projects currently underway.
Developing leaders who make a difference
Throughout the day, leaders from across the organisation shared their experiences, insights and lessons learned from their own leadership journeys. Their reflections highlighted the importance of empowered leaders who make informed decisions and keep customers at the centre of everything they do. Interactive activities encouraged participants to reflect on resilience, adaptability and continuous improvement, helping build the skills needed to respond to changing customer and organisational needs.
Supporting staff wellbeing and creating safe workplaces
Creating safe and supportive workplaces was an important theme of the Leadership Forum. Kate Curtain, Special Counsel at Kingston Reid, spoke about the growing focus on psychosocial risk management and what it means for leaders. Using recent legal cases as examples, she explained that workplace practices, including performance management processes, can create psychosocial risks if not handled appropriately. Kate emphasised that managing these risks requires more than policies alone. Leaders must be equipped to recognise potential risks, apply practical controls and ensure workplace practices support both organisational outcomes and employee wellbeing.
Heizy Serrels, Executive General Manager at the Learning and Wellbeing Centre for Corporate Health, continued the second part of the session by providing further context on identifying psychosocial impacts in the workplace and emphasising the significance of leaders within the organisation. Attendees shared their insights, working through hypothetical scenarios and identifying risks in common workplace situations, empowering leaders to make decisions and navigate complex situations more effectively.
Keynote address
Rebecca Pinkstone, CEO of Homes NSW, delivered the keynote address in the final session of the day, sharing Homes NSW’s work and the significant challenges involved in addressing the state's housing crisis. Through a candid discussion of the agency's mission, Rebecca demonstrated the importance of purpose-driven leadership in tackling complex community issues. She spoke openly with NSWTG leaders about the value of collaboration and the role both organisations play in improving outcomes for the people of NSW, highlighting how strong leadership and partnership can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.
The Leadership Forum is an important investment in our people. Strong leadership helps create workplaces where people feel valued, included and able to do their best work. By continuing to develop our leaders, we're building stronger teams and creating the conditions for better outcomes for the people who rely on our services.