After 16 years at the helm, Andrew Richardson, CEO of Aruma, one of Australia’s leading disability service providers, has announced he will retire in July 2022.

“I love leading this very special organisation. It is truly a privilege to support people with a disability. Being entrusted to provide this support is something I have never taken lightly,” he said.

“Personally, it’s time for me to prioritise my family. Professionally, after 16 years, it’s also time for someone with new vision, energy and ideas to lead Aruma on the next exciting stage of our journey.”

Richardson’s retirement is nearly six months away, and until then, it is business as usual for him. He will continue to lead Aruma and lobby for a better deal for people with a disability and the organisations like Aruma that support them.

Chair of the Board, Candice Charles said, “Andrew will leave an extraordinary legacy. Through his leadership and unwavering advocacy for the human rights of people with a disability, the organisation grew both in scale and capability as the NDIS went from an ideal to a reality. Today, Aruma supports more than 5,000 people to live their best lives.”

The Board will now begin the search for Aruma’s new CEO and work to ensure a smooth transition.

While that goes on, Mr Richardson said, “Aruma staff will stay focused on serving and supporting our customers and standing up for the rights of people with a disability. That’s the reason Aruma exists, and that’s certainly what I’ll be doing!”

About Aruma:

Once called the House with No Steps and The Tipping Foundation – two organisations with over 100 years of combined experience that came together in 2018 – Aruma is a disability service provider and the trusted partner of around 5000 people with a disability throughout the east coast of Australia.

Aruma has its roots in languages and cultures from all over the world.

It means a happy place, to plough the land, being real and true, and the calm time between sunset and sunrise – when the body and soul renews for a new day.