HBF appoints hospital boss Lachlan Henderson as next CEO to lead national push

The Perth-based health insurer has recruited the president of the Australian Private Hospitals Association as its next chief executive as it transforms from health service funder to owner.

Lachlan Henderson said he was ‘attracted to HBF as a not-for-profit fund that truly puts the interests of its 1.1 million members first’. Picture: David Geraghty

Perth-based health insurer, HBF, has recruited not-for-profit hospital administrator Lachlan Henderson as its new chief executive as it pursues an aggressive expansion on Australia’s east coast and launches into health services.

Dr Henderson – who is also president of the Australian Private Hospitals Association – replaces John Van Der Wielen, who has left the company to become chair of Crown Resorts’ Western Australia operations.

HBF chief transformation officer Simon Walsh will remain as interim chief executive until Dr Henderson joins the company in February.

His appointment comes as HBF has been seeking to win more customers on Australia’s east coast via its irreverent advertisement campaign featuring quokkas, a marsupial found in WA.

The company, Australia’s fifth biggest health insurer, has also been expanding into health services, snapping up a range of health providers — from dentists to physiotherapists — in an effort to rein in out-of-pocket costs.

HBF chair Diane Smith-Gander said Dr Henderson, who grew up in Perth, was an “outstanding candidate”.

“With the growth of our brand nationally and expansion into health services, HBF recently entered a new chapter in its long and proud history, and we were committed to conducting an extensive CEO search to find the best person to lead HBF into the future,” Ms Smith-Gander said.

“Lachlan was an outstanding candidate with a wealth of knowledge gained in the healthcare industry across both practising and managerial roles, proven leadership experience, and cultural alignment having worked at not-for-profit organisations. I have every confidence that he is a strong fit for HBF and look forward to him taking up the role early next year.”

Dr Henderson’s previous roles included group chief executive of not-for-profit private hospital group Epworth and executive director of St John of God Health Care. He is also chair of the Board of Directors at Cricket Australia.

At Epworth, Dr Henderson extended a funding agreement with Bupa at a time when the British insurance giant was locked in a stalemate with Australia’s biggest private hospital operator Ramsay Health Care.

“I believe private health plays a pivotal role in the health care of Australians and I was attracted to HBF as a not-for-profit fund that truly puts the interests of its 1.1 million members first,” Dr Henderson said on Wednesday.

“After growing up in Perth I am delighted to be returning to my home city and leading an organisation that forms part of the fabric of Western Australia and is growing its presence nationally. I look forward to working with the team in building on this momentum and continuing to support HBF’s members in navigating an increasingly complex health environment.”

In January, HBF acquired Australia’s third-biggest physiotherapist group, Life Ready, for an undisclosed sum.

It followed the company buying a 10 per cent stake of ASX-listed dental group Pacific Smiles for $41.9m in December.

HBF said at the time its health services strategy aimed to reduce out-of-pocket costs by shortening costly hospital stays and providing more services, such as rehabilitation, in its members’ homes.

Originally published as HBF appoints hospital boss Lachlan Henderson as next CEO to lead national push