Kalena is a seasoned people and culture leader with significant experience in senior executive leadership and commercial operations management. She has worked in human services organisations her entire career, including health, aged care, not-for-profit community services and global publicly listed Fortune 500 companies. She has led teams and organisations in strategy, performance, organisational development, human resources, learning, best practices & quality, operations management, marketing & communications, risk, mergers and sales. Kalena is the Executive Group Manager People and Culture at Canberra Health Services. Prior to Canberra Health Service, Kalena has held several people leadership roles most recently at NSW Ambulance where she led the cultural transformation program.

Kalena has extensive experience in startups, restructures, merger & acquisitions and change, ensuring business results achievement and alignment from a market, people and process perspective. She has a well-rounded commercial approach to Human Resources as a true value provider to the organisation, where tangible results are a part of the HR metric.

Kalena holds a Bachelor of Science (UNSW), a Masters of Management (MGSM) and a Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy (Torrens U).

Kalena is a Deputies Leadership Program (DLP) 2022 alumni and a 2023 – 2024 Alumni Ambassador. To find out more about the Alumni Ambassador program, click here