It is clear the association is in good hands with the appointment of Trevor Lovelle.
fter nine years as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at national peak body for not-for-profit aged care providers, Aged and Community Services Australia, Trevor Lovelle joined ADAWA in August as the CEO.
With over 20 years’ senior management experience, Trevor holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Bachelor of Business (BBus) and Graduate Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). Prior to working in the aged-care sector, Trevor worked for the WA Farmers Federation as Deputy CEO after completing 10 years at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA, where he was in senior management with responsibility for industry policy.
Trevor says he saw the chance to apply for the role of CEO at ADAWA as a great opportunity to further his passion for not-for-profit member associations and to contribute to the fantastic work for which the ADAWA is renown both locally and nationally.
“I’ve aspired to lead a member association and my academic credentials and industry experience have provided me with the capability to achieve this goal,” he explains. “Of course, with higher responsibility comes greater accountability and understanding that the buck does stop with the CEO is a reality that I embrace.”
His appointment marked the end of an era for the WA-branch, that for decades had a dentist in the CEO role, including Dr David Hallett and predecessors, Drs Peter McKerracher and Stuart Gairns.
“I am aware that the previous CEOs were dentists, but I strongly believe that my skillset, which is underpinned by both formal qualifications and significant industry experience, provides me with the capability to lead this member association, and contribute to enhancing the broader strategic objectives of the ADAWA for the benefit of the WA dental profession,” Trevor says. “This is about providing management and association expertise but I also recognise the tremendous level of technical expertise within our membership. We are currently working on plans to provide a ‘help desk’ function for the membership, which will leverage the knowledge, skills and expertise of members and key stakeholders. This will provide a powerful blend of resources, which can only enhance the ADAWA’s value proposition and member experience.”
“Members can continue to rely on the ADAWA as a reputable peak body that represents their interests – and I hope to further build on the strength of our association,” he adds.
Trevor says high on his list is to ensure that ADAWA is an association that members continue to be proud to be part of and that delivers absolute value and benefit to their interests.
Early days have already seen Trevor liaise with key stakeholders and meet with Western Australia’s Minister for Health and Mental Health, The Hon. Amber-Jade Sanderson. Trevor is also currently in discussion with ADAWA President, Dr Amit Gurbuxani, about undertaking a governance review of the association, which in conjunction with the soon to be distributed member survey, will inform the development of the ADAWA strategic plan.
“You need an efficient and sound governance framework because that determines the way your organisation functions,” he explains. “It is not to say there is anything drastically wrong with how the organisation has been functioning, but it doesn’t hurt from time-to-time to check that things are being delivered as efficiently as possible, and that is the key phrase – efficient delivery of service. I think the development of a strategic plan for the organisation is also really exciting. Identifying what our association does and what we would like it to do and become in the future is a really good process to undertake, and I envisage that all of our members will have an opportunity to contribute to this work.”
Trevor is hoping to meet with as many members as possible to get an understanding of what members want from their association.
“Change is something that nobody really likes, but the reality is that member peak bodies, of which ADAWA is one, must keep adapting to change to remain relevant. My firm belief is that change is a process not an event, and it is perpetual. The challenge is to make effective and meaningful change without obvious disruption,” he adds.
“Yes, there will be change but it is good change and I hope members will see the benefit.”
What are you doing when you are not in the office?
I love gardening. My wife often says that the garden is where I go to 'escape'. If I’m not in the garden I can probably be found wandering around the local Bunnings garden centre searching for the next addition. While I’ve developed my professional career in the business stream, I actually studied horticulture when I first left school and I’ve retained that love of gardening.
Although I am not actively playing sport anymore, I do maintain a regular exercise regime. I played soccer from an early age until I realised that I probably wasn’t going to get an offer from Arsenal and needed to consider plan ‘B’, which forced me to make decisions on a serious career.
My youngest son plays soccer, so on weekends my time is spent either watching him or running the lines during game time with a flag in my hand and trying to keep up the play. I like to think I can still show him a few tricks when we have a kick around at the park. He has also inherited the dream of playing for Arsenal, which I’m happy to indulge for the time being.
What three words best describe you?
Reliable, resilient and integrity.
If you weren’t a CEO, what would you be doing for a living? My first car was an FJ Holden that I restored with my father over several years prior to obtaining my driver’s license. If anyone recalls a red FJ Holden burning around Perth streets in the late 80’s, then the chances are it was probably me in my beloved ‘tomato’. I think I've watched every car restoration program on the streaming services and think restoring old cars for a living would be wonderful, although it is probably a pipe dream.
Who is your favourite musician?
As a frustrated rock god, I’ve acquired a collection of acoustic and electric guitars over the years, which these days I play infrequently. I’ve never played in a band, but I channel Bruce Springsteen, although I think any resemblance to his sound and mine are purely coincidental. The Beatles are my all-time favourite band and I still marvel at the genius of their music and wonder what we might be listening to today if they hadn’t existed.
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