Our Team

Carole Kaffes

General Manager

Carole has a variety of skills and nursing expertise, as well as an extensive management background having worked in NZ Health Care System for 30 years.

Before joining us at Wakefield, Carole had a substantial career in the health sector, overseeing up to 21 facilities at a time as a General Manager and Director of Nursing. She brings a solid clinical understanding and her experience at Wakefield to lead our comprehensive hospital and kaimahi to deliver on our purpose to provide continuing excellence in the health and wellbeing of the people in our care.

Matt Blythe

Theatre Service Manager

Susan Andrews

Specialist Centre Practice Manager

Adjunct Associate Professor Simon Keating

Group Chief Executive Officer

Simon is a seasoned senior executive with extensive experience in the healthcare sector internationally across both the public and private sectors, including private equity and not-for-profits. Among many qualifications, he holds a Master of Health Science from La Trobe University (2008), a Master of Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University (2019) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Simon has worked as a CEO in Private and Public Healthcare, Aged Care and Retirement Living and in Primary Health.

He has also specialised in growth in private equity-backed companies with a tenure as the Managing Director of iMedX Australia and New Zealand; with his most recent role as a CEO of McKenzie Aged Care Group; successfully growing and divesting the business in February 2023.

Simon has a very warm, pragmatic and open leadership style. He has had broad experience in driving outcomes and growth within complex stakeholder environments during his twenty-five years in healthcare. He has a significant breadth of health and commercial experience, which is a perfect fit for Evolution.

Hiring

Chief Operating Officer Hospitals & Day Surgeries

Jeff Arthur

General Manager Property & Projects

Jeff Arthur is the General Manager of Property & Projects at Evolution Healthcare, bringing over 24 years of experience in the construction industry, with a strong family background in the field. His career includes pivotal roles at Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Service and Health Infrastructure NSW in Australia, where he gained extensive experience in health project planning and delivery.

With more than 20 years of expertise in the healthcare sector, Jeff has successfully overseen a variety of complex health projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget. Notable deliverables include the development of business cases for the Ministry of Health NSW and NSW Treasury, leading design teams, and managing the entire project lifecycles, from conception to post-construction review.

As Assistant Project Director and Project Director, Jeff has been involved in numerous major health projects, including the $320M Hornsby Hospital Stage 1 & 2, the $88M Byron Bay, and the $177M Wakefield Hospital. At Evolution Healthcare, Jeff has successfully planned and delivered over $300m worth of projects and continues to identify strong pipeline of new opportunities that enables Evolution to grow and expand the range of health services for the community.

His deep understanding of both the operational and capital aspects of health projects has made him an invaluable leader in the delivery of health infrastructure.

Aarti Narain

Chief Financial Officer

Aarti brings with her a distinguished track record of leadership in financial strategy and operations across the healthcare and corporate sectors.

Prior to Evolution, Aarti served as CFO at Tamaki Health Limited from 2020, where she led key functions including finance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), commercial, property and procurement, and legal. Her strategic oversight and ability to drive performance made a significant impact within one of New Zealand’s leading healthcare providers.

Aarti’s career spans global markets including Europe, the UK, and Australia. She has held senior roles at renowned organisations such as HEINEKEN, the BBC and PWC, equipping her with a deep and diverse financial acumen and a truly international perspective.

Her expertise in navigating the complexities of the healthcare industry, combined with a passion for driving sustainable growth, aligns strongly with Evolution’s ambitions. Aarti is inspired by the scale and diversity of Evolution’s hospital, health, and wellbeing portfolio, and is committed to delivering high-impact outcomes that support our continued success.

Andrea Lawton

Chief People and Culture Officer

Andrea is an experienced people and culture leader and a qualified lawyer. Her 25+ years’ experience includes senior leadership roles with Carter Holt Harvey, Fonterra and the Ministry of Social Development as well as legal roles in-house and in private practice, where she specialised in employment law.

Andrea has led the development of multiple organisational people strategies, delivering initiatives that strengthened culture, enhanced employee engagement and developed leadership capability across the business.

She is deeply passionate about shaping positive workplace cultures that support people to deliver exceptional performance.

Dr. Christine Howard-Brown

Chief Executive Health & Wellbeing

The Health and Wellbeing Portfolio includes:
• ABI Rehabilitation
• Proactive
• Evolve
• Proactive Occupational Health
• Proactive Care Pathways.

Health quality and equity improvements have been the backbone of Christine’s career, originally training as a registered nurse and since then holding senior leadership positions in health, rehabilitation and disability within large government organisations and as a consultant. This mahi has involved leading (and sponsoring) several national strategies, action plans and service developments / designs that have focused on achieving equitable access and outcomes for people requiring rehabilitation following serious trauma (including spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries (TBI)).

As current Chair of the National Rehabilitation Providers Group and Governance Group Chair of the Spinal Cord Register, her mantra of ‘the little things matter’ remains unwavered. Discovering what the little things are for kiritaki, whānau, kaimahi, you really have to genuinely connect with them through every interaction and that’s what Chris holds firm to her approach to mahi.

Prior to this, Chris led the team at ABI Rehabilitation as Chief Executive Officer for four and a half years. With a Master of Business Administration and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Medicine, coupled with her health qualifications and experience, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that supports advancing healthcare services in Aotearoa.

Chris takes a practical, collaborative and innovative approach to her role, and takes time to build relationships to strengthen outcomes.

Neetha Alex-Kumar

General Counsel & Company Secretary

Neetha is an accomplished senior business leader and lawyer with over 15 years of experience in navigating complex legal landscapes. Her expertise lies in balancing risks and opportunities to help organisations achieve their strategic goals. Neetha has a proven track record of advising companies on legal matters, especially in regulated environments, ensuring that businesses are both compliant and aligned with their broader objectives. At Evolution Healthcare, Neetha provides invaluable legal guidance and strategic counsel, ensuring continued compliance and supporting the company in achieving its long-term goals. Her extensive experience in legal leadership and her ability to articulate complex issues clearly are key assets.

Ray Liu

Chief Digital Officer

Ray leads our digital and IT team building and supporting applications, data, and technology infrastructure for the Evolution Healthcare group. He is an experienced leader with a proven track record of aligning technology investment to business strategy and managing digital transformation in complex environments.

Ray previously served as General Manager IT for Green Cross Health who operate 330 pharmacies and 65 medical centres across New Zealand. He led the digital transformation that modernised systems across the retail and healthcare businesses to improve operational efficiency, customer engagement and support launch of new products and services. He also led significant work in mergers and acquisitions, providing IT due diligence and integration support.

Ray has also served in senior roles in Davanti/Merkle as Head of Consulting, Watercare, Suncorp NZ and Gentrack with experience in IT advisory, systems implementation, and programme delivery. He is known for his technical and business acumen, collaborative leadership style and is passionate about building high-performing teams to drive innovation and to ensure technology is true enabler for business.