Intereach appoints Co-Chief Executive Officers

Intereach has appointed Yvette Buhagiar and Michelle Tai as Co-Chief Executive Officers to lead the organisation in its next phase of service and growth.  

 The announcement was made by Intereach Board Chair Rob Brown who said the two highly respected leaders had already played a significant role in guiding the organisation during a significant period of development and expansion.  

 “We are well into an exciting and challenging phase for Intereach as we progress our strategic plan.  Yvette and Michelle’s leadership is clearly recognised both within our organisation and the community service sector,” Mr Brown said.  

 “Their appointment brings the confidence that comes with continuity. 

 “Yvette has been in the acting CEO role for 18 months and her advice, guidance and relationship with staff has been critical to our success. During this time Michelle has been responsible for ensuring our obligations with the Commonwealth, Victorian and NSW state governments have not only been met but lead the way in service delivery and support across our regional footprint.”  

 Mr Brown said selecting a CEO, or in this case Co-CEOs, was one of the most important decisions a board makes.  

 “The board was in a position to invest the time needed to carefully determine the leadership option that best suited Intereach for its next chapter, resulting in the board’s conviction that Intereach would be best served by Yvette and Michelle’s appointment.  

 “While the leadership roles and responsibilities will be shared, there are clearly defined roles. Michelle will lead our operations and sustainable service portfolio which has significant local and regional impact on our participants and clients, while Yvette will drive our internal operations to ensure that we have innovative and well-functioning organisational practices and resources to meet the key goals of our strategic plan.” Mr Brown said. 

 “We pride ourselves on empowering our participants and clients to live their best lives. Yvette and Michelle espouse our values of leadership, partnerships and social justice. We have two strong leaders who have worked brilliantly side-by-side and this is reflected in the communities we serve and support.” 

 Ms Buhagiar joined Intereach in 2018 and holds a Bachelor of Commerce. She has more than two decades of operational management experience in finance, human resources, risk management, compliance and business systems.   

 Ms Tai joined Intereach in 2017 and has a professional history in social work and psychology and a commitment to equitable service access to regional and rural communities. She has extensive leadership experience in the employment services sector.  

 The appointments came into effect on Wednesday, December 7.