Our Leadership

Exceptional care that makes a difference.

Mercy Hospital is a not-for-profit organisation with charitable status, owned by Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand. Entrusted to continue the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Hospital’s executive and governance teams provide leadership and expertise.

Executive Team

Richard Whitney

Chief Executive Officer

Richard joined Mercy Hospital as Chief Executive Officer in February 2009. Richard’s career in health has been diverse and extensive, beginning with St John as both a cadet and then a paramedic. After receiving his BA Hons and diploma in economics through the University of Otago, Richard worked in health leadership roles across public, private, primary, secondary and policy sectors both in New Zealand and overseas. As a mature student, Richard also completed a Master’s in Health Management through Massey University.  

In addition to his CEO role, Richard currently holds Directorships with joint ventures Mercy Heart Centre and Mercy Cancer Care. Prior Directorships have included both not for profit and commercial entities. Richard was elected to the New Zealand Private Surgical Hospital Association (NZPSHA) Executive in 2011, taking the lead in the Health Workforce Development portfolio. Richard is currently the President of the NZPSHA and a member of the Business Leaders’ Health & Safety Forum.

Philippa Pringle

Chief Operating Officer / Privacy Officer

Philippa was appointed Director of Clinical Services at Mercy Hospital in 2005. Prior to this, Philippa held a variety of clinical and nursing leadership roles predominantly within the public sector, in Intensive Care Units in New Zealand, Australia and the United States of America.  Philippa completed her initial nursing training in Otago with subsequent post graduate qualifications and a Masters of Health Science gained through the University of Otago. 

Philippa has a keen interest in partnering with consumers to improve their health care experience, innovation in nursing practice and enhancing collaboration within the nursing profession. Philippa is a member of the NZ Private Surgical Hospitals Association (NZPSHA) and of Nurse Executives of New Zealand (NENZ).

Alofa Lale

Mission Co-ordinator

Alofa Lale was appointed Mission Coordinator of Mercy Hospital in July 2016. In this role Alofa manages Mercy’s mission and charitable outreach programme. Alofa also oversees the Pastoral Care team at Mercy, helping to ensure that patients’ cultural and religious needs are met, and leads the staff choir.

An important part of Alofa’s role is helping to ensure Mercy honours its responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Alofa enjoys delivering cultural education sessions for staff, for example around Maori and Pasifika pronunciation and protocols, to bolster cultural competency of those delivering health care services.

Prior to joining Mercy, Alofa was the church minister at Otago Peninsula Presbyterian Parish in Andersons Bay and Portobello. Born and raised in Cannons Creek, Porirua, Alofa worked as a teacher in primary and secondary schools and as a liaison officer at Victoria University. Alofa and her young family moved to Dunedin in 2003.

As Mission Coordinator at Mercy, Alofa enjoys utilising her wide-ranging skills in education, ministering and connecting with people to care for underserved communities throughout Otago and Southland.

Andrew Taggart

Chief Financial Officer

Andrew (BCom, BE) joined Mercy Hospital in 2010. He is responsible for the finance, accounting and administration functions. A Chartered Accountant, Andrew has previously held a number of senior management and financial roles, predominantly in service industries.  Andrew brings broad experience in business strategy, planning and financial matters.

Ange McNulty

Chief People Officer

Ange joined Mercy Hospital as Human Resources Manager in 2019. Ange is an alumni of the University of Otago and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring in management. Ange began her human resources career in Auckland initially in the recruitment sector, before moving into generalist HR roles predominately in large multi-site businesses, in the retail/trade sector.

Ange has an employee centric approach, and is passionate about providing HR support and strategies that foster a highly engaged, agile workforce, now and into the future. Ange’s role at Mercy covers the full HR remit inclusive of recruitment, learning and development, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing and engagement, supported by a small HR team. Ange is a Chartered Member of HRNZ.

Jason Silby

Chief Transformation Officer

Jason Silby was appointed ICT Manager at Mercy Hospital in July 2018. In his current role Jason is responsible for identifying, developing and implementing ICT and digital solutions, as well as leadership and development of Mercy’s ICT team.

Prior to working at Mercy, Jason worked for a national consulting firm, advising clients on business technology. He has 20 years’ experience in the technology sector as a business analyst, software developer and business intelligence specialist.

Jason has a Bachelor of Commerce (Operations Management), a Bachelor of Science (Information Science) and a Masters of Business Administration, and is a member of HiNZ (Health Informatics NZ) and CiLN (Clinical Informatics Leadership Network).

Board of Directors

Lauren Semple

Chairperson

Craig Wyatt
Leanne Illingworth
Mike Collins
Justine Camp
David Perez
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