NSW Ambulance is made up of six Directorate areas:
- Clinical Operations
- Aeromedical Operations
- Clinical Capability, Safety & Quality
- People & Culture
- Corporate Services
- Finance
The organisation is led by an Executive Leadership Team who preside over each Directorate.
Download the NSW Ambulance organisational chart.
Interim Chief Executive - Clare Beech ASM
Clare began her paramedic career working in rural and remote locations across Victoria, before joining NSW Ambulance in 2007.
Clare qualified in Intensive Care and Extended Care paramedicine and across the next two decades, has performed a range of clinical, operational and executive roles at NSW Ambulance.
As Director Clinical Operations (Sectors), Clare was responsible for the delivery of all land-based ambulance operations and providing senior clinical and cultural leadership to the operational workforce.
As the Executive Director Clinical Capability, Safely & Quality at NSW Ambulance, Clare led a diverse portfolio including Clinical Governance, Education, Virtual Care, Clinical Practice & Programs, Service Planning and Aboriginal Health.
In that role, Clare oversaw the implementation of the NSW Ambulance Virtual Clinical Care Centre (VCCC) which works to ensure patients are connected with the right care, at the right time and in the right place. This model represents the most significant reform and innovation project to be delivered over the life of the NSW Ambulance Strategic Plan and directly addresses the broader NSW Health priority to deliver high value, patient centred care.
Clare is a strong and well-respected leader. She encourages ownership, participation and innovation from her teams, always returning the focus to the needs of the patient and their experience in the out-of-hospital clinical setting.
Clare holds an unwavering commitment to ensuring excellence in clinical care, with post graduate qualifications in leadership, public administration, corporate governance and EMS operations management. She was appointed to the inaugural Paramedicine Board of Australia in 2017 in recognition of her experience and leadership in the industry.
Executive Director Clinical Operations - Wayne McKenna ASM
Wayne McKenna holds the title of Executive Director Clinical Operations at NSW Ambulance with the rank of Deputy Commissioner. Since joining NSW Ambulance in 1988, Wayne has served in a wide range of roles, including senior management positions such as the Director Metropolitan Operations and Director Aeromedical and Special Operations. He also has extensive expertise in regional areas, particularly the North Coast Sector. Wayne has continued to maintain his credentialing as an Intensive Care Paramedic to this day.
Wayne brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his current role supported by a strong academic foundation. Wayne currently holds a Bachelor of Health Science (Pre-Hospital Care), Master of Health Science (Occupational Health & Safety), Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution and Master of Business Administration (MBA).
During his time with NSW Ambulance, Wayne has also gained extensive experience in emergency management, serving as Commander during the North Coast Floods in March 2017 and the Fires of 2019–2020. Additionally, he served as the State Operations Controller for NSW Ambulance’s response to COVID-19, the Severe Weather Events of February and March 2022, and more recently, Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Wayne’s leadership is defined by a clear focus on people, patients and performance, with a steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality emergency medical services across the state.
Alan Morrison, A/Executive Director, Clinical Capability, Safety & Quality
Alan is currently the Acting Executive Director Clinical Capability, Safety and Quality. He has been a paramedic for 30 years and continues to practice clinically as an Intensive Care Paramedic. His substantive role is Associate Director Professional Engagement and Partnerships which focuses on the strategic connections between NSWA, the broader health system and other partner agencies. In this role he is the NSW Ambulance lead on the NSW Health Paramedic Integrated Workforce project testing the concept of paramedicine inclusion in facility based multidisciplinary teams. Alan was the NSWA Director of Education for several years in which he oversaw the transition of foundation paramedic education from the vocational to the tertiary sector.
Alan has a major interest and extensive experience in health practitioner regulation. He is the President of the Paramedicine Council, a position he has held since 2018. He is a member of the Health Professional Council Authority (HPCA) Aboriginal Advisory Committee and co-chaired the working group that developed the Joint NSW Health Professionals Councils and HPCA Aboriginal Cultural Safety Strategy. He has chaired the NSW Health Professional Councils Presidents’ Forum and was co-chair of the inaugural national Paramedicine Accreditation Committee for 7 years. Alan is an Adjunct Fellow with Western Sydney University and a Fellow of the Australasian College of Paramedicine. His interests span paramedicine practice, clinical education, health practitioner regulation, health service systems of care, workforce innovation and choral singing.
Executive Director, Aeromedical Operations - Dr Sarah Coombes ASM
Sarah is Executive Director of Aeromedical Operations and one of NSW Ambulance's Senior Assistant Commissioners. She brings extensive experience to the position from across the Public Hospital and Aeromedical Retrieval sectors within NSW Health and the UK National Health Service (NHS). Sarah has more than 15 years of operational experience flying with London’s Air Ambulance, NETS, Westpac Lifesaver and NSW Ambulance Aeromedical Operations. Sarah also has nine years of operational support experience as a Senior State Retrieval Consultant within the Aeromedical Control Centre. In addition she was the Clinical Governance Lead for NSW Ambulance, Aeromedical Operations for five years.
Sarah is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and the College of Emergency Medicine, UK, specialising in both Emergency Medicine and Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine. She is a Certified Medical Transport Executive with the Association of Air Medical Services and has a strong interest in humanitarian causes; with active participation in AUSMAT and USAR team development, leadership capability and response planning.
Executive Director People & Culture - Amanda Soliman
Amanda Soliman is an experienced Human Resources Professional with 20+ years’ experience leading large specialised and multi-disciplinary teams. Amanda commenced her career as a people leader in the retail industry, establishing and leading high performing teams that delivered operational results through an improved customer experience. Her passion for improving service delivery through effective people leadership and workplace culture, led Amanda to complete a Bachelor of Business majoring in Human Resources, Industrial Relations and Employment Relations and transition her career into various leadership roles within People & Culture in retail, aged care and health care industries in corporate enterprise, not for profit and public sector.
With a strong customer service ethos, Amanda passion is the delivery of People & Culture strategies that improve the patient experience and outcomes through enhanced employee experience, engagement and workplace culture.
Executive Director Corporate Services - Peter Elliott
Peter has provided distinguished service to NSW Ambulance and to the community, for over 30 years. In 2010 he was seconded to the Northern Control Centre and was appointed Control Centre Manager in 2011. He acted in the role of Director, Frontline Services and was later appointed Director, Infrastructure and Assets. He has also worked in the role of Director, Control Centres, and in this position he led a team to achieve sustained improvement in the speed of answering Triple Zero (000) calls.
Peter continues to be an outstanding operational and corporate staff member and has been involved in a range of major events and emergencies. He is an adaptable leader capable of stepping into any role at short notice and quickly making a positive impact.
Executive Director Finance - David Cooper
David Cooper is a senior finance executive with more than 20 years’ experience across the NSW Government and private sector, leading finance and procurement functions in complex, service-focused organisations.
He joins NSW Ambulance from the NSW Reconstruction Authority, where he led finance and procurement during a period of significant growth and major disaster recovery activity across the state. In this role, he strengthened financial governance and reporting, supported the delivery of large-scale recovery programs, and played a key role in securing funding to assist communities impacted by natural disasters.
David has held leadership roles across Resilience NSW and the NSW Telco Authority, as well as in the telecommunications sector with nbn and Telstra, where he led large-scale budgeting, capital management and transformation initiatives.
A Certified Practising Accountant, David is committed to supporting frontline services through strong financial stewardship, enabling organisations to deliver on their mission and meet the expectations of the communities they serve.