Meet our highly qualified and experienced Executive team helping to shape, strengthen and sustain primary health care in WA.
Bernie Kenny
Chief Executive Officer
Bernie is dedicated to enhancing the health care system in Western Australia, focusing on providing under-served communities with accessible care and minimising unnecessary hospitalisations.
Her efforts are geared towards fostering collaborations with like-minded organisations and establishing connections in emerging priority areas for Primary Health Networks (PHNs).
With an in-depth understanding of primary health care complexities in Australia, Bernie recognises the opportunities presented by current health policy reforms.
Her extensive experience includes building organisational culture, driving innovation, improving operations, and achieving better health outcomes for communities.
As an Executive General Manager with WA Primary Health Alliance, Bernie has successfully overseen programs that strengthen primary care and has led significant commissioning activities.
Her background in the health sector spans roles from a registered nurse, practicing both in Australia and internationally, to clinical leadership positions.
She has held senior roles at McKesson Asia Pacific and Medibank Health Solutions, managing large, diverse teams across multiple jurisdictions.
Bernie holds a Bachelor of Nursing degree and is a Certified Health Executive with a Fellowship from the Australasian College of Health Service Management.
Visit our CEO’s Desk webpage and join Bernie as she explores the successes, improvements and challenges within Western Australia’s health system and discusses with those on the front line, what we are doing about it.
Chris Kane
Executive General Manager – Strategy & Engagement
Chris leads the organisation’s strategic direction, ensuring it takes a system-wide view, while also listening to local communities to understand who they are, their unique health needs and how their world is changing.
She has extensive experience in the health and higher education sectors, most recently working in health policy and medico-politics with the Australian Medical Association (WA).
Chris is committed to developing strategic partnerships across public and private sectors to improve health equity and improve access to services that transform and save lives.
She is closely involved in several key health reforms and initiatives, including the WA Bilateral for Collaborative Commissioning, Strengthening Medicare reform, outpatient reform, primary health care workforce planning and prioritisation and thin workforce markets.
Chris holds a BA and MComm from the University of Western Australia and is a Director of the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association.
Mark Cockayne
Executive General Manager – Commissioned Services
Mark is responsible for WA Primary Health Alliance’s front line commissioning functions, improving access to healthcare closer to home for those at risk of poor health outcomes.
He has more than 35 years’ experience in healthcare as a clinician and leader across metropolitan and country areas of Australia, along with state and national board appointments.
Mark is passionate about understanding and meeting the needs of individuals in our communities, better integrating service provision and providing services that meet the unique needs of each community.
He is highly experienced in the not for profit sector, is a registered nurse and holds Master’s Degrees in Primary Health Care and Health Administration. Mark is also a Williamson Fellow, Leadership Victoria.
Dr Danny Rock
Principal Advisor and Research Director
Danny has strategic input into WA Primary Health Alliance’s approach to mental health and research, ensuring the organisation focuses its efforts where it will have the most impact on people at risk of poor health outcomes.
He is a clinical epidemiologist, an Adjunct Professor in the Discipline of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of Western Australia and at Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, and a Fellow of both the Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH) and the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA).
Prior to his current appointment, he held several senior health service executive and clinical research positions, including as Deputy Executive Director, North Metropolitan Health Service Mental Health, and Clinical Professor in the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences and the School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, and Co-director of the same university’s Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry, based at Graylands Hospital.
Rob Salvage
Executive General Manager – Business Services
Rob leads the organisation’s Business Services portfolio, providing support to all WAPHA staff through its Business Planning & Improvement, Finance, Office Support, People & Culture, and Data & Analytics teams.
Rob has been involved in the planning and delivery of healthcare for the past 35 years, initially in the National Health Service in Wales, followed by a time in New South Wales and more than 25 years in Western Australia. Rob has a strong interest in how health systems evolve and change in response to the changing health needs and expectations of the populations they exist to serve.
In the Department of Health WA, Rob’s experience included 15 years in senior executive roles in budget management, infrastructure coordination, intergovernmental relations, and as the Chief Executive of the North Metropolitan Health Service.
Rob holds a BA from the University of Leicester and a Master’s of Public Health from the University of Wales.
Giles Nunis
Executive General Manager – Digital Transformation
Giles joined WA Primary Health Alliance as its inaugural Chief Digital Transformation Officer in September 2020 after almost three years as a Deloitte Partner. Giles’ interest in health technology commenced when he was appointed as the Executive Director ICT at Fiona Stanley Hospital during its commissioning phase.
Having completed the development of a robust implementation program for Fiona Stanley, he went on to be the inaugural Chief Executive and Whole of Government Chief Information Officer for WA Government. However, he continued to assist and advise the Health Department on Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Perth Children’s Hospital ICT.
Giles has a long and diverse background in other industries. He has held senior roles such as Deputy Director General, Department of State Development (Mining, Oil and Gas, International Trade); National Managing Director at Ajilon (now called Modis, a management and technology consulting firm); and Director Courts, WA Ministry of Justice.
