Grahame Marshall is excited about his new role as head of Royal Flying Doctor Service’s operations in WA. He says it’s a unique role and he can’t wait to get started each day.
Moving interstate and leaving a corporate career behind could be daunting for some but, as Grahame Marshall walks around the Jandakot headquarters of Royal Flying Doctor Service’s western operations, it is clear he feels he has made the right move.
Mr Marshall’s experience as chief executive of South Australian law firm Lynch Meyer, general management at the Electricity Trust of South Australia and in banking at Westpac and, more recently, managing the banking arm of the Territory Insurance Office has taken him from Sydney to Adelaide and Darwin.
But he sees his role in Perth as chief executive RFDS’ western operations as his most fulfilling.
“When you have been in other roles, you think you enjoy your job but then you walk into a role like this and realise how different it is; the alarm goes off in the morning and you just can’t wait to get to work because you know it is going to be a great day,” Mr Marshall says.
“My experience in corporates is that there is very good reason for being in those, but mostly it is about shareholders and profits. This organisation gives you the opportunity to see some tangible outcomes that improve people’s lives; for me that is far more meaningful than hitting a profit target.”
His passion for RFDS is evident as he explains the level of work involved in running its operations in a huge state such as Western Australia.
As Mr Marshall walks from the plane hangers through the triage emergency medical facilities, from the operation’s logistical co-ordination centre to the engineering hanger, the scope of what RFDS does slowly sinks in – it is not just about remote emergency evacuations.
“I think people perhaps don’t understand that RFDS is a big commercial operation. The cost to run this business last year was around $70 million,” he says.
His seven years on the board of the South Australian and Northern Territory RFDS also developed his understanding of the strategic needs at a board level, as well as an understanding of the front end of the business.
“Sitting in a board role over that time gave me a really good introduction to understanding the complexities of an organisation. How you marry strategic needs with the operational needs of a business,” Mr Marshall says.
“There is a piece there that says we are such an iconic brand, we are so well respected, we have trust and integrity but there is a risk we can become complacent around that.
“We have to think more commercially, we have to continue to ensure we are the most efficient, cost-effective provider out there in the area we operate in.
“We have to recognise that just being RFDS is not enough. We have to continue to improve and think differently to how we can add another level of service.”
While growth is not something RFDS strives for – given that would follow an increase in the need for medical care – the state’s expanding rural and remote populations have led to a 16 per cent rise in demand during the past two years in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions.
“Demand is continuing to grow and is far outstripping what we would have anticipated two or three years ago and, no, we are not equipped to keep up with that demand if it continues at that rate,” Mr Marshall says.
“Do we need more planes? Yes we do, but we need more doctors and nurses and pilots. It is not just the planes.
“At the same time, we need to be able to present a strong business case to whether it be government or corporate partners to say, ‘here is the demand, here is where it is growing, here is why we need the resources and here is how we can invest that money to meet that demand’.”
Mr Marshall is focused on consolidating RFDS’ funding resources, which come from state and federal contracts as well as philanthropic sources, corporate partnerships and internal fundraising.
He says growing demand has encouraged the organisation to change the way it does business. RFDS has a strong focus on providing primary health care in remote WA through dental services, increasing communities’ access to general practitioners and sun-screening clinics.
“One of our key strategic areas of focus is on primary health-care delivery. For me that is a no brainer,” he says.
