Brenda Wilson was chief executive of Cancer Council SA, from 2002 to May 2015 and was

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

's first female

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, serving from 15 August 2014 to 20 January 2022.

Early life

Wilson was born in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and migrated to Australia as a young girl with her parents and older sister in 1959.Professor Brenda Wilson Government House SA

Career

Wilson has worked in the health industry since 1973, training in nursing at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) from 1973 to 1976. She was later nurse manager at the RAH from 1985 to 1989. She then became Director of Nursing at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre (HRC) from 1989 to 1992 and was promoted to CEO of HRC from 1992 to 1994. Wilson was CEO of the Cancer Council SA from 2003 to 2015. She was a member of the board of Burnside War Memorial Hospital, Adelaide between 2003 and 2011. and a former Board Director of Opera SA In 2014, Wilson was appointed to the board of aged care provider ACH Group. Wilson was sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor of South Australia on August 15, 2014, replacing

Hieu Van Le Hieu Van Le, ( vi, Lê Văn Hiếu; born 1 January 1954) was the 35th governor of South Australia, in office from 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2021. He served as the state's lieutenant-governor from 2007 to 2014. He also served as chair of the ...

who became governor on September 1. In 2016, she and a bunch of other people were members of a flash mob; they posed as statues at

Adelaide Airport Adelaide Airport , also known as Adelaide International Airport, is the principal airport of Adelaide, South Australia and the List of the busiest airports in Australia, fifth-busiest airport in Australia, servicing 8.5 million passenger ...

. Brenda is currently a member of the ACHA and WCHN Boards and Chairman of the Board of Helping Hand Aged Care

Academic ranks and awards

Wilson has a Diploma of Applied Science (Nursing), Bachelor of Business (Health) and an MBA. She is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD), a Fellow of the College of Health Service Executives (FCHSE), a fellow of the

Royal College of Nursing Australia The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is the peak professional body and voice for the nursing profession in Australia. ACN advocates, develops policy, and provides education to advance the status, recognition, and respect for nursing nationa ...

(FRCNA) and a fellow of the Wharton School of Management. Wilson was the recipient of the Telstra Business Women's Award, Corporate and Government Sector in 2000. In the

2019 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

Wilson was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AM) for "significant service to community health, and to the people of South Australia through a range of roles".

Personal life

Wilson's partner is Dr Kym Bannister, a nephrologist and nuclear physician, and she is stepmother to his two sons.

References

External links

Professor Brenda Wilson
– Government House, South Australia Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian nurses Australian women nurses Lieutenant-Governors of South Australia Australian women chief executives Fellows of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Members of the Order of Australia {{Australia-business-bio-stub