5-minutes-with-Heath-Nash Five Minutes with Hope Circle’s Leadership
Meet Chief Operating Officer Heath Nash
With this week’s blog, we go in a different direction and interview Heath Nash about his first six months in the role as Chief Operating Officer at Hope Circle.
What attracted you to working at Hope Circle?
Initially, I found the role itself to be interesting in terms of being a new challenge that aligned with my previous experience. It also involved working in an area of the NDIS that is not well known, with a significant number of clients requiring forensic supports and services.
However, when I met the founders at my interview, I was really captured by their passion to personally live out the mission and values of Hope Circle.
Through my own life and friendship circles, I understand the value of a second chance in life – and I believe we provide that for our clients who have had some involvement in the criminal justice system.
How would you describe Hope Circle to someone who hasn’t heard about the organization before?
Hope Circle is one of a kind and I think we’ve been one of Adelaide’s best kept secrets – but that is changing now!
Our founders live out the organisation’s values in a way that I haven’t seen elsewhere before. That has been contagious and empowering!
We have an amazing team to work with as well. Their commitment to our mission and to supporting our clients is impressive. We have many complex and challenging clients that we work with, but I’ve never heard one of our team say that we can’t handle it. In fact, they are always keen to take on a new participant – especially those with complex needs – because they know our support helps!
Has anything surprised you about the role or the organization?
Despite the complexity of many of our clients’ needs, it’s been a role where I’ve felt genuinely like we make a difference – and we do it every day! The supports and services we provide are literally changing our clients’ lives.
I’ve also been impressed with the work that our service coordinators and compliance officer have done with other stakeholders helping clients to reduce and eliminate their restrictive practices. This work continues to empower clients to live the life they want to live.
Where do you see Hope Circle being in maybe a year from now?
I’d like to think we will be at the forefront of NDIS forensic services in Adelaide, and in a growing position in Perth because of the quality of the services we are providing. For me, it is about quality over quantity.
We also have a solid reputation in working with clients with physical disability, so I wouldn’t be surprised by more growth in that area too.
What do you like to do when you’re not working at Hope Circle?
I enjoy hiking and regularly walking my dogs, but my weekends can get filled up a bit tinkering in the shed restoring older cars.
I’m also a bit of an older movie buff – and love to watch movies from back when the acting was good and the special effects were bad!
What would you say to someone considering working for Hope Circle?
You should only work here if you align with the values of the organization!
Seriously though, Hope Circle is a great place to work. We have a good team to work with, and opportunities to develop new skills working with a range of different clients.