Appointment of Western Alliance Executive Director

Western Alliance is bidding a fond farewell to Professor Warren Payne, Western Alliance Executive Director, who is retiring after seven years at the helm.

Warren (pictured) has been an outstanding Executive Director, leading Western Alliance through to our current position as an NHMRC-accredited Research Translation Centre. His advocacy for a rural and regional voice in Australian health and research, and his focus on translating research evidence into practice was a vital contributor to this achievement.

An apt finale to Warren’s career was his recent appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of his significant service to sport, health & medical research, and the community. We congratulate Warren for all he has achieved and contributed to our community and wish him well for what we are sure will be a busy retirement.

We are delighted to announce the outcome of the competitive recruitment process for Warren’s role. Drew Aras, currently Western Alliance Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed to the Executive Director role and will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Alliance’s strategy to improve the health and wellbeing of communities across western Victoria.

Drew commenced his career as a physiotherapist working in public health settings before completing a Master of Public Health and moving into roles encompassing health promotion and preventative health, project management, health services research and education. Prior to commencing with Western Alliance in 2018, Drew was the Associate Director of Education & Research at Northern Health. In his time at Western Alliance, Drew has been pivotal in the development and implementation of key Western Alliance activities and partnerships to support research translation.

As Drew settles in, Sarah Shaw will take on the Acting Executive Officer role, in addition to the communications role she has held since 2022.

Brendan Crotty

Chair, Western Alliance Board