INTHEBLACK June-July 2024 - Flipbook - Page 28
MEMBER PROFILE
Rachelle Anstey CPA became
CFO of Monash Health in
Melbourne, in November 2021.
Previously, she was
executive director of finance
at Peninsula Health.
Anstey understands the need for
both technical and soft skills for any
accountant with C-suite aspirations.
MEET THE CFO
Balancing act
With a career largely spent in public health, Rachelle Anstey CPA
cares a great deal about making a difference. Appointed as CFO of
Monash Health at the height of the pandemic, Anstey has a strong
focus on improving reporting and decision-making at all levels
of the organisation.
Words Adam Courtenay
Photography Jarrod Barnes
MY ROLE
Empower the team
I see myself as the financial steward
of Monash Health, Victoria’s largest public
health service, which cares for Melbourne’s
south-east with a team of 25,000 employees.
We operate with a turnover of about
A$3.2 billion a year, so I need a great team
working with me. There are about 150 people
working in the finance department, which
comprises all financial services, payroll and
finance projects.
When I arrived in November 2021,
I knew that my team needed to have certain
28 INTHEBLACK June/July 2024
freedoms, so they could feel empowered
and self-directed. I have three directors
in charge of large portions of the budget,
but, in truth, they are CFOs in themselves.
Each director manages turnover equivalent
to that of a small-to-medium company.
I have an allocated budget, with limited
opportunities to meet commercial revenues,
so I have to stick with what is given.
The government provides us with a funding
envelope, and I make sure that we stay within
that while balancing clinical demand.
With clinical demand and access
priorities, even if my budget is running
over in the emergency department, I cannot
