154 - Cheryl Barrett - CEO of Southern Cross Support Services

Arete Podcast with Richard Triggs

It’s always good to talk to someone with such wide-ranging experience, and it’s even better when they’re incredibly successful. Cheryl Barrett is the CEO of Southern Cross Support Services, which provides NDIS care across Australia. What started ten years ago as two people in a lounge room has now grown to 1,045 staff across Australia. With Cheryl now at the helm, we talk to her about how she got the job and the varied journey that got her there. Can you believe her first interview for the job took five hours? Cheryl tells us how that went and describes, among other things, her motivation for giving something back to the community. Episode Highlights: - If there is any difference in not-for-profit and private sector standards - How Cheryl negotiated a male-dominated industry - How Cheryl started giving back to the community - Equality in politics versus the private sector - Cheryl’s executive journey - How Cheryl negotiated a five-hour interview - How Cheryl did a self-development program to help her become a leader - The challenge of attracting talent in a provincial area - The importance of mentoring your staff Useful Links: Cheryl Barrett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryl%E2%80%93barrett/ Richard Triggs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardtriggs/ Arete Website: areteexecutive.com.au/