Placement of the Month – April 2024

Long established and trustworthy, Open Minds is a community-based support organisation has a well-earned reputation for providing mental health and suicide prevention services to people and their families. Open Minds is focused on improving the wellbeing and quality of life outcomes of people across the community, utilising a person-centred approach to care. 

Through its accessible person-led services, it helps people across the mental health spectrum achieve more independent and positive ‘lives beyond illness’. 

Delivering services across 30 locations in Queensland and NSW, this NFP ensures that the lived/living experience voice is central to service co-design and delivery by ensuring people with lived and living experience are engaged through co-design, governance and employed through the organisation. 

Chris has now commenced his new position as Clinical Lead at Open Minds. In this role he will work with other managers to establish the Head to Health Satellite service across the Ipswich region. Chris will provide clinical oversight to a multidisciplinary team ensuring the delivery of high-quality services. 

Chris Franck, an experienced health and community executive, has seen his career take him to many countries around the world. Chris is a warm and engaging man with an infectious positive manner and a good sense of humour. 

Chris describes his main strengths: as leadership at all levels and his people skills, clinical supervision & governance, innovation and the ability to create ‘something from nothing’ through developing processes & frameworks. He also brings great experience in writing grants and funding applications. His knowledge and experience of working in remote and rural communities would be advantageous for any organisation looking to grow into these areas.

Harriet has recently commenced as Program Advisory Lead – Mental Health for Open Minds. In this role Harriet will provide support to the General Manager, and the management team. This will involve developing and leading implementation of key frameworks and strategies that support the broader business direction including diversity and inclusion framework, stakeholder engagement plan, lived experience workforce strategy implementation and workforce capability framework. The role will focus on interpreting policy and initiatives to inform senior leadership on strategic risks and opportunities.

Harriet is an experienced government policy official with five years’ experience working in the Government. She has worked on several high-profile ministerial priorities, managing funding in the millions and has confidence carrying out activities across the policy spectrum.  

Harriet is an outgoing and adaptable worker who maintains productive stakeholder partnerships. 

She is excited about delivering executive support and engaging with stakeholders and “bridging gaps” where needed to ensure deliverables are achieved. She is efficient and can work at pace and has been trusted to get the job done. Harriet is resilient and able to learn quickly and hit the ground running.  

Adam Oakhill

Executive Consultant

Get to know Adam and the Windsor Group team here.