the Aged Care Today magazine featured articles

Not only were aged care nurses and carers underpaid in what were seen as inferior roles, equally aged care executives did not enjoy the same profile as their peers in other industries.

Forging the innovation of electric vehicles, expanding smartphone technology or increasing the profit margin of a big bank was seen as more outstanding than managing aged care homes. After all, aged care is about ageing and older people, who even today continue to face barriers due to misunderstandings at best, and discrimination at its worst.

In the past couple of decades and certainly since the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, there has been a shift. The community has begun to understand the valuable role played by aged care. Providers that were in it for the wrong reasons have been forced out. The ones that have stayed are in it for the right reasons.

The challenges for leaders are also more evident, if not to the general public, they are visible among peers and colleagues. Doing more with less is not easy. Innovating to provide better care requires a fearless approach. Retaining skilled staff needs great leaders who can demonstrate the kind of passion and altruism consistent with a caring sector. Being able to manage people as well as an increasing number of regulations needs a strong handle on policy and process.

We now have evidence that the tide of perception is well and truly changing. In November, Sonya Smart, Chief Executive Officer of the for-purpose provider VMCH, was named the top executive in her field at the 2025 Australian Executive of the Year Awards.

Hosted by The CEO Magazine, the national awards celebrate outstanding leadership and achievement across all sectors, recognising executives who have made a significant impact on their organisations and the broader community – including older people.

One of 14 executives in the not-for-profit category, Sonya said, “I am truly humbled to receive this award. To be named Executive of the Year among such an inspiring group of leaders is an extraordinary honour. I am proud to represent the not-for-profit sector and to shine a light on the vital work we do for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.”

Since Sonya joined the organisation in 2017, VMCH has transformed into a sector leader, launching social enterprises that create meaningful employment for people with disability, expanding its retirement living and affordable homes portfolios, and pioneering new models of care that prioritise dignity and connection.

Sonya emphasised the award reflects the dedication and compassion shown every day by the people who work in aged care. “I want to thank the VMCH Board, executive team, staff, volunteers and especially the people and families we support. They are the reason I am so passionate about this work, and they inspire me every single day. This recognition belongs to all of us.”

This award heralds a significant moment in the aged care sector. It speaks to the years of hard work done by every passionate and compassionate aged care leader, to address community concern, improve standards, rethink models of care and reframe public perception.

“On behalf of the sector, I congratulate Sonya and the VMCH team,” said Tom Symondson, Ageing Australia Chief Executive Officer. “I’m proud to say it is evidence of the long road we have travelled as a collective – a group of leaders, carers and organisations forging an innovative, new path for our sector.

“Our efforts are now being acknowledged and our dedication to the care of older people is being honoured through prestigious national awards. We should all heart in this achievement; the tide is turning.”