HeartKids will be undergoing a complete restructure with a new merger and new leadership.
Six individual state-based HeartKids organisations have merged as of Monday, coinciding with the restructure, a new CEO and Chair have also come on board.
Jan McClelland has accepted the role of Chair of HeartKids, and Mark Brooke has been appointed Chief Executive Officer.
The restructure is said to allow HeartKids, a not-for-profit organisation solely dedicated to improving the lives of children with congenital heart disease (CHD), to grow and expand its current level of support and services nationally.
HeartKids Australia, together with its State branches, has funded more than three million dollars in research since it launched in 1981, and many millions in supporting families of children with heart disease.
New CEO Mark Brooke has experience in managing and leading a national NFP. Based in Brisbane, Brooke will lead the organisation using modern conferencing technology to ensure he is a familiar face in each of the State offices.
Current HeartKids Australia CEO, Jayne Blake, is thrilled to have McClelland and Brooke on board.
“With the changing charity landscape, it’s imperative that our organisation evolves. Unifying HeartKids into one will help us deliver more funding and services to more families across Australia. Under Jan and Mark’s leadership, HeartKids is well positioned to move into an exciting new phase that will have enormous benefits for those affected by congenital heart disease,” said Blake.
“We would like to thank all our staff, supporters and members over the years for their wonderful support in helping us reach this exciting point in our journey.”