Brenda Hawke

Senior Director, Talent and Organisational Development, Queensland Health

Biography

Brenda is a wife, mother of three children and is driven by purpose.  Purpose to make a positive impact everyday.  With over twenty years in the human resources profession, Brenda has specialised in multiple human resource disciplines and has industry experience across the Health Finance, Insurance, Transportation, Local Government and Government Owned Corporation sectors.   

With the impacts felt by the global pandemic and the sudden passing of her father in 2022, Brenda’s purpose gravitated to the health industry.  She wanted give back to a workforce and industry that in every second of every day, gives so much to others. As Senior Director Talent and Organisational Development at Queensland Health, Brenda’s functional span includes organisational development, inclusion, organisational change, leadership capability, talent development, workforce planning, work design and evaluation and attraction.  

Previously, Brenda was the Executive Manager Group Talent, Capability and Leadership Manager at Suncorp Group. Brenda created the vision to proactively combat the war on talent and implemented a Reskilling Program. A program dedicated to building internal workforce capabilities in scarce and critical skills and mobilising the same to achieve business outcomes.   

Brenda thrives in an environment of complexity and chaos and is passionate about leadership at every level and the untapped potential and purpose within every person, whether the individual realises it or not.