CEO Conversations: A new chapter, the same mission

In March 2025, the Australian Society of Ophthalmologists (ASO) made history with the announcement of its first female Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Despite a 43-year history, initially arising out of a need for stronger specialist medico-political representation in New South Wales in the early 1980s, the ASO has come a long way in a very short time.

Its first CEO, Kerry Gallagher AM, was appointed in 2009 and marked the beginning of the ASO’s maturity and recognition nationally. 

For the last 16 years, Mr Gallagher has taken the ASO from strength to strength whilst shaping a team fit to rise to the challenges of a modern medico-political era.

On the team from Kerry’s earliest days in the top job was incoming CEO, Katrina Ronne.

Ms Ronne joined in 2010, as the ASO wrapped up its successful ‘Grandma’s Not Happy’ campaign that fought and won to protect Medicare patient rebates for cataract surgery from health cuts. 

As General Manager of Policy and Strategy, she was responsible for developing policy and submissions to effectively communicate the ASO's position on the critical issues affecting ophthalmologists and their patients.

With her feet now under the desk and sitting at the helm, we spoke with Katrina to learn more about her contributions to the ASO and her aspirations for the future of ophthalmology in Australia.

However, one thing is for certain — the mission and objective of the ASO will continue unchanged. 

Passions for Health and Public Policy

In her own words, Katrina begins by explaining she has always had an interest in business, especially where the relationships between employees, employers, and the institutions that support them intersect. 

After graduating university with a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Industrial Relations, she would launch her professional career with Queensland’s leading doctors’ union that concentrates on addressing workplace and industry matters. 

“My first roles were with the Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation Queensland (ASMOFQ), which sat under the Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ),” Ms Ronne shares. 

“I learned about the dangers of sleep deprivation in young doctors and advocated for the promotion of safe working hours as well as interpreting and negotiating collective bargaining agreements for salaried doctors and then representing them on issues such as bullying and harassment in hospital settings.”

This experience would prove advantageous when Katrina moved into policy roles at the Queensland Government Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC).   

“To truly understand how policy works, you need exposure to the machinery of government, which you can only gain from working within it,” she said.

“My time at the DPC was highly valuable and offered insights into the process of government and the importance of consultation, as well as international comparisons, that are utilised in the development of government strategy.”

Brisbane would soon host the Group of 20 (G20), a leading forum for international economic cooperation, presenting Katrina with a rare opportunity to experience firsthand the power of people. 

“Within the DPC, I joined the G20 Cultural Celebrations Team that was tasked with delivering cultural activations across Brisbane City during the Summit in 2014,” Katrina shares.

“Similar to Brisbane’s iconic reminders from the World Expo 88, some of the activations we implemented have stood the test of time — think of the ‘BRISBANE’ sign at South Bank!

“This project experience highlighted to me the power of community engagement and collaboration — especially how it can elevate and sustain advocacy efforts.”

As anyone who works in policy will do at some point in their career development, Katrina sought exposure to political campaigning, which she credits with deepening her understanding of ‘motivations for change’.

“To advocate for change, you first need to understand the motivations for change,” she said.

“At the heart of this is people and being able to actively listen to understand what matters, what will make or break a situation.

“As with business, my political position is not aligned to one party or candidate over another, but rather, understanding the intersecting relationships and seeking outcomes in the best interests of all concerned.

“It is a philosophy I will turn to often to make educated and measured decisions as CEO of the ASO.”

Priorities and Principles 

Ms Ronne’s desire for the ASO is to ensure its position as a not-for-profit organisation that inspires inclusivity and the promotion of equitable access to safe and affordable eye health services for all Australians.

“Sight is our most valued sense,” she begins.

“I want ophthalmologists to be empowered and supported to deliver the best possible eye care to Australian patients. 

“There are no limits to what Australian eye surgeons can achieve, only those created for them within the health paradigm. 

“Working to free our members from such inhibitors will allow them to continue with research, innovation, and excellence in ophthalmology and patient care — and is precisely why the ASO exists.”

With the ASO Board of Directors driving frontline advocacy efforts forward, Katrina shares her focus will turn to the membership.

“Ensuring the ASO is meeting the demands of our members and is continuing to provide strong value is important to me,” she said.

“We also need to safeguard the future, which begins with directing more efforts to educating and mentoring trainees and new fellows in the business of ophthalmology.”

Focus on Continuous Learning

Without a concerted focus and investment in the future generation of ophthalmologists, Katrina posits that we cannot guarantee the continued success of the ophthalmology profession, especially in the current private health sector landscape. 

“A point of difference between the ASO and the College (RANZCO) is our efforts are concentrated on medico-political advocacy and supporting business skills development, especially in private practice, whereas the College is the body that establishes and governs our profession’s clinical standards and training,” she said. 

“We therefore have a responsibility to ensure Australian ophthalmologists, a majority of whom are in private practice, are primmed for success and it starts with education.”

Ms Ronne has set an early commitment to deliver and launch an online learning management system (LMS) for ASO members within her first 12 months in the role.

“The LMS will enable the ASO to provide opportunities for continuous business learning and personal development as inclusively as possible,” she said.
“Consider it an extension and evolution of our ASO Skills Expo — which is being held for the tenth time this year.”

The platform is scheduled for a soft launch at the ASO Skills Expo in Brisbane on Saturday, 31 May 2025, with the first of a series of future learning modules to be unveiled. 

“It is the hope of the ASO that this platform will become a tool to help ophthalmologists track their CPD training and identify areas for their ongoing professional growth and improvement.

“By becoming agents for their own business acumen, we can help shape the next generation of ophthalmologists to pivot and overcome whatever challenges private practice and the private health sector presents.”

Challenges and Concerns

If we have learned anything emerging from the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is the importance of being agile, especially in an ever-changing health landscape, as Katrina explains.

“Economic pressures have been significant and created levels of turbulence we have not previously seen to this extent in our private hospital sector,” she said.

“In some instances, this has resulted in direct impacts upon Australian patients. 

“More often than not, it has been as a byproduct of divisive politics and decision making that is not always driven in the interests of patients.

“The ASO has been vocal about the need for regulation of the private health sector, an issue we will continue to call on the Federal Government for its leadership and governance, which it is yet to rise to.”

Ms Ronne notes that tied into this need for regulation is the rapid progression of vertical integration of private health insurers (PHIs) into hospitals.

“If history is to be considered and vertical integration continues, PHIs stand to gain greater control over patient decision making and costs, which is far from the best interests of patients,” she said.

The ASO also remains concerned about the current threat — or reality in motion — to medical colleges and the existing systems of quality standards for specialist training. 

Specifically, the fast tracking of Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs) outside the established college equivalency pathways.

“Any threat or change to our established and vetted systems poses a risk to patient safety and quality control,” she said. “This cannot and should not be minimised.”

“The ASO is not opposed to the arrival and contributions of overseas trained medical specialists — in fact, we proudly count a number of overseas trained ophthalmologists among our members,” Ms Ronne said.

“The concern has always and continues to remain around altering the existing requirements of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Fellowship in Australia.”

There are a number of factors at play that have resulted in this shift in policy, but as Ms Ronne reflects, fast tracking SIMGs is not the only solution.

“Modelling suggests we will hit a shortfall of 5,000 medical specialists across Australia in 2025,” she said.

“Marry this with the existing workforce maldistribution issues, the facts indicate a significant crisis is inevitable. 

“Whilst fast tracking SIMGs could be considered as a short-term solution, it will not address the significant long-term concerns regarding our medical workforce distribution and shortages.

“Consequently, in pursuit of short-term gains, we could be causing significant degradation of our world-renowned patient safety and quality standards.”

In cohesion with other representative bodies across the country, the ASO is calling for greater investment in training to Australia’s existing medical workforce. 

“The Australian Government needs to address this crisis by increasing their investment in medical training across all states and territories, including for enhanced rural training infrastructure and improved supervision resources, such as long-term workforce planning.”

Ms Ronne said the evolving role of artificial intelligence is another area that requires ongoing monitoring.

“As technology continues to advance and gain impact in health assessment and screening, we are seeing continued pushes for scope expansion, especially in roles where technology offers providers an apparent ‘simplification’ of treatment,” she said. 

“I expect we will see this continue to accelerate in the next decade, among other emerging challenges.”

The ASO will continue to represent its members, as it has done effectively in the past, in areas involving scope-of-practice expansion.

Reflecting on Ms Ronne’s promotion to Chief Executive Officer, ASO President, Dr Peter Sumich, shares she has been amongst his most-trusted colleagues these past 15 years.

“Her judgement, her calm head, and direct style of communication have always been an asset,” he said.

“She has that practical toughness developed from her background in industrial relations and government policy roles. 

“Her strength in policy analysis and her grasp of politics have been — and will continue to be — a huge benefit for our executive team.”

ASO Vice President, Associate Professor Ashish Agar said Katrina has been the ASO's "secret weapon for as long as I can remember".

"Her unmatched grasp of policy, advocacy, and the minutiae of how these interact have seen the ASO punch way above our official weight," A/Prof Agar shares. 

"She always steadies the ship by bringing a level-headed approach to the most complex issues, and grounds our team by ensuring we remain focussed on the most important element of all — the patient.

"We are so excited to have her lead from the front now."