Welcoming Two New Directors to the ACHS Board
The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) is pleased to welcome John Cowell and Dr Francis Lee to its Board of Directors.
Their appointments bring valuable expertise across governance, healthcare leadership, data governance, digital transformation, legal expertise and clinical practice, strengthening the breadth of experience guiding ACHS as it looks to the future of healthcare quality and safety.
John Cowell
John Cowell is an experienced governance and legal executive whose career spans healthcare, government, education, major infrastructure and renewable energy.
John spent more than 15 years with Healthdirect Australia, including as General Counsel and Company Secretary, helping establish and strengthen the governance, legal and corporate foundations supporting Australia’s national digital health and telehealth infrastructure. He brings extensive experience in governance, risk management, regulatory compliance and organisational assurance, and has advised boards and executive teams on complex strategic matters. John is committed to supporting high quality, safe and accountable health care and organisational performance. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Child Abuse Prevention Service and Chair of the Building Designers Association of Australia.
One of the greatest opportunities is the intelligent use of data, digital systems and AI to improve access, consistency and quality of care. The corresponding challenge is ensuring that governance, clinical assurance and regulatory frameworks keep pace with those developments, particularly where technology increasingly influences decisions affecting patients, clinicians and the healthcare workforce.
- John Cowell
Dr Francis Lee
Dr Francis Lee is a dual fellowship-trained medical executive and digital health leader with more than 15 years’ experience across clinical practice, digital transformation, health service management and governance. Francis’ work focuses on strengthening healthcare governance, improving care delivery and supporting responsible innovation, including the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
He currently serves as Chief Clinical Information Officer for the South Metropolitan Health Service and Medical Advisor for the WA Country Health Service. He also contributes nationally as a Digital Health Adviser to the Australian Digital Health Agency, supporting the safe and person-centred adoption of digital health technologies. Francis is passionate about advancing healthcare quality and safety through strong governance, meaningful consumer engagement and system-wide collaboration.
For me, the question is not simply how ACHS maintains standards, but how we continue to evolve them so healthcare organisations can learn, adapt and improve while providing care that is safe, effective, equitable and centred around patients’ needs.
-Dr Francis Lee
Looking ahead
The future of healthcare quality will require organisations to adapt, innovate and improve while keeping patients, communities and safety at the centre. With their diverse perspectives and experience, John and Francis will contribute to the governance of ACHS’s ongoing work to support healthcare organisations to deliver safe, high-quality and sustainable care. We warmly welcome John Cowell and Dr Francis Lee to the ACHS Board.
