Dr Lesley Bennett is Deputy Director General, Clinical Excellence at the Department of Health WA, where she leads system-wide strategy to improve quality, safety and innovation across health services.
Lesley has extensive executive leadership experience across the WA health system, including as Chief Executive of East Metropolitan Health Service, where she delivered major infrastructure, service and innovation reforms.
Lesley brings deep expertise in clinical governance, system reform and strategic leadership, and is passionate about improving outcomes for vulnerable populations, including young people experiencing mental health challenges. She is committed to fostering collaborative, high-performing organisations and advancing person-centred models of care that deliver lasting impact for individuals, families and communities.
“It’s exciting to be involved in an organisation that is making such a big impact. Youth Focus plays such an important role in supporting youth mental health in Western Australia. It has a strong reputation for delivering accessible, impactful services while also contributing to broader system thinking about how we better support young people. That combination of purpose, evidence and community connection is both compelling and important,” said Lesley.
Alex Nicol is an AHPRA registered psychologist and health manager with nearly two decades of experience in child and youth mental health across Australia. His career has taken him from frontline clinical work in headspace and the WA Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), including time in the Fitzroy Valley, through to system-level reform at Orygen and managing a state-wide specialist service in WA. He currently leads the Western Australian rollout of MOST, Orygen’s digital mental health platform.
Alex brings a passion for service improvement through co-design with young people and families, strengthening clinical governance, and building service culture. He is passionate about Youth Focus’s commitment to deliver services with heart and to place young people and their communities at the centre of care.
“I’m passionate about making systems that really work for young people, and Youth Focus are doing great things in this space. I’m looking forward to being part of the Board, and contributing my experience and knowledge of youth mental health during a time of exciting growth for the organisation,” said Alex.
As Youth Focus heads into an exciting phase of growth and development, it’s wonderful to welcome Alex and Lesley onto the Board of Directors, to help lead the journey of growing our services, and shaping what support looks like for young people across WA.
