Our leadership team
Pathways' spirit, our catch cry, is 'whatever it takes'. For this to thrive - and for Pathways to deliver mental health and wellness opportunities that enable people to live their dreams and flourish - the Pathways management team must provide inspirational leadership throughout the organisation. This requires a 'now and tomorrow' approach, which acknowledges that contributing to future thinking and embracing the possibilities of change are just as important as the tasks we do today.
The Pathways national leadership team is committed to championing the following attributes throughout the organisation.
• Courage…we have always dared to be different. We do whatever it takes.
• Innovation…we turn creative and fresh ideas into reality.
• Imagination…we have vision. We both imagine and explore new oceans.
• Passion…we have passion for what we do. It’s why we’re here.
• Fun…we’re energising and fun, we celebrate.
• Optimism…we’re positive, we’re believers, we seek challenges and see them through.
• Integrity…we do the right thing, even when no one is watching.
• Caring…we care – it’s the heart of what we do.
The Pathways national leadership team meets regularly to share ideas and initiatives; unite regional goals with national direction; chart progress against the strategic organisational plan; and simply to support each other. The members of the team are:
• Lyndsay Fortune, chief executive
• Robyn Atkinson, national quality manager
• Denise Aylward, Taranaki/Whanganui regional manager
• Robyn Craw, Christchurch regional manager
• Jodi Fata, Waikato/Hauraki regional manager
• Basil Fernandes, well workplace manager
• Julie Fidoe, project coordinator
• Michelle Glenny, Wairarapa regional manager
• David Hughes, Wellington regional manager
• Ross Phillips, workforce development manager
• Gillian Schweizer, Auckland regional manager
• Glen Simblett, national clinical support
• Jude Sprott, Auckland regional manager
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Lyndsay Fortune
Chief executive
As chief executive, Lyndsay is responsible for the strategic development and general management of Pathways. She also provides direct operational support and leadership to regional managers. Lyndsay brings wide-ranging organisational knowledge to the role, having worked as part of Pathways’ management team since 2001, including four years as general manager. Lyndsay graduated MBA (distinction) in management from the University of Waikato in 2011 and is also a qualified occupational therapist. She has over 20 years’ experience in the mental health sector in both hospital and community-based services.
"Being a part of people's journeys is a privilege. Whether it's supporting people using services to achieve their dreams or staff to realise their potential, creating an environment for change and growth is at the heart of Pathways. The strength of Pathways' values and our people's commitment to making a difference makes Pathways a great place to work."
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Robyn Atkinson
National quality manager
Previously a Pathways service leader, Robyn has been with Pathways for many years and uses her in-depth knowledge and experience to help progress Pathways’ quality projects, policies and procedures.
“Working with Pathways has given me the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. Being a part of an innovative and passionate organisation that has strong core values and believes every person has the right to live their dreams, is a privilege. It inspires me every day.”
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Denise Aylward
Taranaki/Whanganui regional manager
As a regional manager Denise leads the Pathways Taranaki and Whanganui teams. She is involved in engaging key stakeholders across the organisation and shaping and developing regional services - ensuring Pathways is consistently delivering innovative, responsive, high quality mental health and wellness services.
“To me, Pathways is about creating a positive environment for change and inspiring people to live well in the communities of their choice. It’s about supporting people to open doors. Every day I see the huge challenges that people face and overcome and I’m continually amazed at the incredible personal journeys we’re invited to be involved in.”
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Robyn Craw
Christchurch regional manager
As Christchurch regional manager Robyn is involved in engaging key stakeholders across the organisation and shaping and developing regional services – ensuring Pathways is consistently delivering innovative, responsive, high quality mental health and wellness services.
“I’m a southern girl. I gained my registered psychiatric nursing qualifications in Dunedin. Since then I’ve spent 25 years setting up mental health housing and support services around the South Island, including the past six years at Pathways Christchurch. I feel privileged to have been part of many innovative community mental health developments. I’ve always believed in the natural strengths that exist within a community and believe people need to feel connected to neighbours, friendships, activities, employment, and common interests with others.”
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Jodi Fata
Waikato/Hauraki regional manager
As regional manager, Jodi leads Pathways' Waikato and Hauraki teams, facilitating service responsiveness to the ever-changing needs of these communities. Jodi's background in quality management means she is a firm believer that "no service is ever perfect". She actively encourages her teams to always keep growing, and strive to do things better.
“I began my career in the field of psychology, working as a community mental health worker in high-needs rural communities. This role helped me grow both personally and professionally, and gave me a passion and commitment for addressing the inequalities in health and wellness that exist for too many people. Everybody should be able to make choices for their own wellness and have access to the resources they need to make those choices a reality. I consider it a privilege to be part of an organisation like Pathways, which so strongly embraces a culture of advocacy and a drive for enabling choice among people using services."
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Basil Fernandes
Well workplace coordinator
Basil’s role as national well workplace co-ordinator is around developing and implementing Pathways’ national well workplace strategy and associated Wellness Programme and activities. It’s all about building a strong, healthy, happy Pathways culture.
"Wellness is my passion. Working with Pathways for almost a decade I've been able to take on varied roles and challenges that have allowed me to not only practice wellness but promote wellbeing and make difference in people’s lives. At Pathways we make the everyday dream of healthy living a reality by recognising the whole person by taking a holistic approach to physical, spiritual, emotional and mental wellness."
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Julie Fidoe
Project coordinator
Julie takes a lead on coordinating projects that support Pathways to achieve its leading challenges and meet the objectives of Pathways' organisational plan. Julie has previous hands-on experience as a Pathways regional manager so her organisational project management knowledge and expertise is strong.
“I’m forever inspired by the people that choose to use our services and their achievements. With that I admire the difference Pathways makes. At Pathways outcomes matter. That means delivering innovative, responsive, high quality mental health and wellness services to each person that touches the organisation. At Pathways that’s the motivating factor. Working for Pathways is always a privilege, an honour and an inspiration for me."
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Michelle Glenny
Wairarapa regional manager
As the Wairarapa regional manager, Michelle oversees a unique service which offers mental health and addiction services from a single point in the community. Working in close partnership with service partner CareNZ, Michelle and her team work to provide each person with high quality, responsive support based around one recovery plan, one assessment, one record and one service.
“I started my career in mental health working in traditional institutional care. The poor treatment I witnessed concerned me and I left the mental health sector for many years. But the experience also fuelled a passion in me. I knew if I was to have a future working in mental health it would have to be with a contemporary and values based organisation. Pathways is just that. I really enjoy working for an organisation that focuses on community-based solutions and people’s real life journeys.”
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David Hughes
Wellington regional manager
As a regional manager, David leads Pathways' Wellington team. He’s involved in engaging key stakeholders across the organisation and shaping and developing regional services – ensuring Pathways is consistently delivering innovative, responsive, high quality mental health and wellness services.
“I love the opportunity to blend inspirational leadership with a clear focus on people as they imagine new possibilities for themselves and take action to make these things happen. We have great services and great people and we never stand still. My role is about being connected to people who use our services and the teams who work alongside them every day. I’m inspired by their high energy, creative ideas and readiness to change – ensuring we are in the best possible position to support people in realising their dreams.”
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Ross Phillips
Workforce development manager
Ross’ role is all about developing and implementing strategies to ensure Pathways has an inspirational, skilled and passionate workforce that is able to respond to a changing health landscape. This includes identifying opportunities for training and development and ensuring best use of workforce development resources.
“With a background in service and workforce development in the mental health and disability fields, the challenge of driving workforce development for a large, successful NGO is ‘a dream come true’! My job gives me the opportunity to merge a passion for recovery with developing our most precious resource – the workforce. I’m motivated by people’s ability to effect positive change in their lives and the lives of others - regardless of our job title we can actively support and influence people to achieve their dreams.”
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Gillian Schweizer
Auckland regional manager
As a regional manager, Gillian leads the Pathways Auckland team. She’s involved in engaging key stakeholders across the organisation and shaping and developing regional services – ensuring Pathways is consistently delivering innovative, responsive, high quality mental health and wellness services.
“Working in health is a passion of mine. I strongly believe in recovery, achieving goals and turning dreams into a reality – so to work in an environment that fosters these beliefs makes my work a fulfilling challenge! I have family, wellbeing and social commitments and Pathways recognise that important balance. Quality and best-practice service delivery are important to me. Being part of an organisation that is changing and growing in a sustainable, progressive way is very rewarding.”
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Glen Simblett
National clinical support
Glen's role is about ensuring, from a clinical perspective, Pathways' services are the best they can be, that the professional development needs of its registered health professionals are met and that Pathways proactively identifies and addresses unmet needs.
“Looking back, I’ve always been drawn towards Pathways…I just didn’t always know where I was heading! As a teenager, I took up a career in medicine because I wanted to help people to live. As a naive, young doctor, my choice of profession as a psychiatrist was about trying to help people live normally. Now, as a seasoned, middle-aged father, my choice of Pathways is about wanting to inspire people to live well. It’s always been about people and life, it’s just that over the years the connection between those two elements has changed. For the better, I believe.”
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Jude Sprott
Auckland regional manager
Jude leads Pathways northern services. As a regional manager she's involved in engaging key stakeholders across the organisation and shaping and developing regional services - ensuring Pathways is consistently delivering innovative, responsive, high quality mental health and wellness services.
“For me working for Pathways is a true pleasure. I’m lucky enough to work with some fantastic people and I’m constantly inspired by the wonderful things people do for each other. Every day we have the opportunity to make a real difference in peoples’ lives. Every day I enjoy hearing stories of people’s successes and how they’ve realised their dreams. It’s being able to support people to open the doors to new opportunities and seeing the change in them that inspires me.”
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