Chief Executive Officer, Western Queensland PHN
Born and raised in Winton, Sandy Gillies has dedicated her career to improving the health and wellbeing of outback communities. Sandy is a passionate, authentic leader in the rural and remote health care sector and an advocate for better health access, equity and outcomes in Western Queensland.
A proud Gunggari woman, Sandy has drawn upon her lived experience and those of her family and communities to call on systemic change to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Her experience as an Aboriginal Health Worker and Enrolled Nurse paved the way for more senior roles with the Queensland Mental Health Commission in 2013 and the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council in 2015.
In 2017, Sandy joined the Western Queensland Primary Health Network (WQPHN) as Executive Manager. Her commitment and ongoing drive to improve the health and wellbeing of Western Queenslanders led to her appointment in 2020 as an Adjunct Professor at the Murtupuni Centre for Rural and Remote Health at James Cook University. The following year, in 2021, Sandy was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the WQPHN in recognition of her outstanding leadership and performance. She was the first Aboriginal person to be appointed CEO out of the 31 Primary Health Networks Australia-wide.
