Goodstart appoints Melinda Smith as Chief Operating Officer

Goodstart Early Learning has announced the appointment of Melinda Smith as its new Chief Operating Officer, commencing early March 2024. 

 

Ms Smith, who is currently working in a senior fixed term contract role, joined Goodstart in August 2023 after extended tenures as a Faculty Member at the Australian Public Service Academy and as a Board Member – Australian Census at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

 

Prior to joining the early learning sector Ms Smith held a range of senior leadership positions including Chief Service Delivery Officer at the Australian Tax Office, Chief Operating Officer at Masters Home Improvement and General Manager Buying and Merchandising at BigW. 

 

CEO, Dr Ros Baxter, said Ms Smith’s appointment marks a significant milestone for Goodstart as it positions itself for stronger growth and increased social impact for all of Australia’s children.

 

“This is an important appointment as we continue our centre led journey and our focus on children, families, and our team,” Dr Baxter said.

 

“Melinda is a dynamic leader, who fosters innovation, is results driven and has extensive leadership experience in operations management, cultural change, business transformation and customer service, all of which will be invaluable to Goodstart.”

 

Goodstart also confirmed that Paul Ryan, who had been up until Ms Smith’s appointment leading the organisation’s operational team, has agreed to take on a new role as General Manager – Performance Improvement. 

 

Mr Ryan will partner with Ms Smith to achieve broader Goodstart objectives and continue to work alongside state managers to ensure operational performance improvement is embedded across the network and that the support office is positioned to appropriately meet centre needs. 

 

Dr Baxter thanked Mr Ryan for his efforts as the acting leader of the Group’s operations team.