For three decades, Health Roundtable has been a cornerstone of collaboration, innovation, and shared learning across the health sector in Australia and New Zealand. To mark this milestone, Tobi Wilson reflects on his journey with the Health Roundtable, the role it plays in shaping health leadership, and what the future holds for healthcare improvement.
Tobi’s connection with the Health Roundtable began early in his management career. Over the past 15 years, his connection has grown with the organisation, serving as a board member for six years and as Chair for the last four.
For him, the Health Roundtable has always been more than just a platform It’s been a reliable source of benchmarking, insights, and connection that helps leaders understand how their services compare, where opportunities for improvement exist, and how they can deliver better care.
“For me, the Health Roundtable has always been a bit of a security blanket. You can come back to it, you can benchmark yourself, you can see where you’re doing well, and where you need to improve.”
“When you move from one health service to another, you’re walking into a whole new set of challenges. What the Health Roundtable gives you is that consistent benchmarking - so you can quickly see what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus your attention”, Tobi said.
While data is at the heart of the Health Roundtable’s work, Tobi is quick to emphasise that numbers alone don’t create change. What makes the Health Roundtable unique is the way it fosters collaboration. Hospitals and health services often face similar challenges yet operate in silos. The Health Roundtable creates a safe space where leaders can openly share their successes, struggles, and lessons learned. It’s this culture of openness that allows members to adapt ideas from elsewhere and accelerate change.
“The Health Roundtable has never been about competition; it’s about learning from each other. By sharing openly, we can all get better and achieve things no one service could do on their own,” he said.
Tobi’s tenure as Chair has coincided with a time of unprecedented challenge for health systems globally. From workforce pressures to rising demand and the ongoing impact of the pandemic, leaders have had to navigate a rapidly changing environment.
The Health Roundtable has provided not only data but also perspective. Leaders have been able to draw on shared experiences, learn from one another’s strategies, and feel less isolated in their challenges. In times of uncertainty, that support network has been invaluable.
“The last few years have been unlike anything we’ve seen before - workforce shortages, increased demand, and of course the ongoing impacts of COVID. Leading through that has been incredibly challenging”, said Tobi.
For what lies ahead, Tobi sees enormous potential for the organisation to continue evolving. Healthcare is becoming more complex, with digital transformation, integrated care, and patient-centred models reshaping the landscape. The Health Roundtable will play a vital role in helping leaders adapt to these changes by continuing to provide robust data and a collaborative forum for problem-solving.
Equally important will be ensuring that the next generation of health leaders feels the same sense of connection and support that Tobi experienced when he first joined. Investing in leadership development and knowledge-sharing will be key to sustaining progress into the future.
For Tobi, the Health Roundtable has been a constant companion throughout his career. A community that has both challenged and supported him. Its value lies not just in the data it provides, but in the culture of learning and improvement it fosters.
As he reflects on 30 years of impact, the message is clear: “the Health Roundtable is not just about benchmarking - it’s about building better healthcare together”.
Watch the full video from Tobi below.
