Fellows Voice: Interview with Pam Anders, Department of Health

As part of IPAA Victoria’s Fellows Voice series, Dr Marija Maher, Chief Operating Officer, Victorian Ombudsman, and IPAA Victoria Board Member,  interviews Pam Anders, Senior Executive Director, Mental Health & Wellbeing Transformation, Department of Health, and 2023 Fellow inductee about her significant commitment to public service and experience in implementing reform from the Royal Commission in Victoria’s Mental Health System.

In our latest Public Sector Perspectives podcast episode, host Dr Marija Maher, Chief Operating Officer, Victorian Ombudsman, and IPAA Victoria Board Member, interviewed Pam Anders, Senior Executive Director, Mental Health & Wellbeing Transformation, Department of Health, and delves into Pam’s significant commitment to the public service, in leading implementation of reform from the Royal Commission in Victoria’s Mental Health System, and advice for public servants regarding mental health and wellbeing.

Pam has demonstrated commitment to the Victorian community her entire career, from her role as a graduate teacher to the Director of Public Engagement at Oxfam, and her roles as CEO of Mental Health Reform Victoria and now as Senior Executive Director, Mental Health and Wellbeing Transformation in the Department of Health, where she is currently leading implementation of reform from Royal Commission in Victoria’s Mental Health System. 

Pam has held senior leadership roles in the Victorian public service and community sector with an abiding commitment to positive transformation, and a passion for delivering meaningful change and growing greater public value for communities. Pam does this by facilitating opportunities for professional growth in her immediate team and across the larger staff groups she leads. 

IPAA Victoria’s Fellows Voice series aims to raise the profile of the 2023 Victorian Fellows and shine a spotlight on their leadership journey. Join us as we learn about our Fellows in each episode and delve into stories of leadership and celebrate the work of current leaders in the public purpose sector; explore the components of effective and transformational leadership; and celebrate the prestige of IPAA Victoria’s Fellowship award.

I do think good decisions are made by considering many different viewpoints. In a consensus decision making is not always possible – but when you make a decision, you need to be properly informed about who you’ve engaged and whether you’ve engaged them in in a meaningful way. I also like to approach decisions [that] are made and informed by those closest to the action or the problem.

Pam Anders, Senior Executive Director, Mental Health & Wellbeing Transformation, Department of Health 

Learn more about IPAA Victoria’s Fellows.