#WeAreNorthern

Meet Ren Cazar, Director of Corporate Governance, Northern Health.

Q: First things first — how do you take your coffee?

A: Long black – iced in summer, hot in winter. My coffee machine doesn’t fit in the apartment, so it lives at work. Colleagues bring the beans; I bring the machine. I still somehow end up at Henry’s cafe most days anyway.

Q: Tell us about your journey at Northern Health.

A: I joined Northern Health in 2023 as Project Lead for the Kilmore amalgamation — straight into the deep end, and I loved it.

After that came the General System Design Team (some of my favourite Northern memories), then into Corporate Governance. Now, as Director of Corporate Governance, I focus on board operations, corporate compliance, and supporting a new Board Chair and the Directors.

I started as a cardiothoracic nurse and transitioned into health management through the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) health management internship. Since then, I have worked across the Department of Health and KPMG Australia.

Q: What makes Northern Health special to you?

A: The people, absolutely — people explained it as the “the Northern way” when I joined. I think it is rooted in our beginnings as a community hospital. But it’s this scrappy, innovative spirit and people go out of their way for each other.

It’s a place that’s growing but hasn’t lost its sense of community, authenticity and humility. It makes it a special place to work.

Q: A moment you’re particularly proud of?

A: I have many but definitely the Kilmore amalgamation. Not just for the transformational and complexity of the change, but for the people. Building trust within that team and community. Regional health is always personal and understanding what their health service meant to them was powerful, and in many ways we got it right. The fact that other health services are now learning from what we did there makes it even better.

Q: What’s something most people don’t see about your work?

A: Everyone sees the board meeting — the big game moment — but not the six weeks of training that lead up to it.

That’s where the real work happens: coordination, influence, alignment, and getting the team in sync. I’m not always the one scoring the goal or crossing the finish line, but I’ve helped design the play and give people the lay-up. Watching others execute and win is the best part.

Q: What advice would you give someone starting out in governance?

A: Get close to the work before you lead it. Understand it deeply. And don’t try to perform your way through it — people see through that fast. Authenticity and being yourself go a long way.

Q: And outside of work — what recharges you?

A: Every year, I take on something that scares me a little and a new challenge.

In 2022, I walked 800 kilometres across Spain on the Camino de Santiago. In 2023, got into fitness and running. In 2024, I earned my PADI scuba licence. In 2025, I ran my first marathon. This year… still deciding. But as the saying goes, “The top of every mountain is the bottom of the next. Keep climbing.”