New Leadership for St Vincent de Paul Society Wellington

President of St Vincent de Paul Society Wellington, John Kennedy-Good, is pleased to announce the appointment of a new General Manager, Sally Babington. Sally will take over as General Manager on Monday 13 July 2020.

“Sally comes to us with a strong background in social services, having worked in leadership roles throughout community and Government agencies. She has a deep commitment to working alongside communities, seeking to understand what people who use social services really want and need", says Mr Kennedy-Good.

Sally has a history in statutory social work, as well as funding and contracting with social service providers. She has worked in Special Education leading a team that provides support and services for children with disabilities. In the Justice sector, Sally worked in the prison system and has led a team responsible for designing services to better meet the needs of those using Justice services. Her role at ACC involved leading a large operational team in the ’Serious Injury Service’ in a time when a focus on understanding and meeting client need was required.

On entering this role, Ms Babington says, “I look forward to working with a committed team who are out there in the community providing services directly to people in need, building on the amazing work that is already being done at St Vinnies. Understanding what people who use these services really need will be a key focus and reflecting on what is working, what isn’t working and what can we be doing differently?”

In her community-based roles, Sally has led a team through change in Legal Aid Services, making sure that fairer systems were in place for people not easily able to access a lawyer. She has worked at Barnardos NZ, leading regional teams providing both social work support and early childhood services. Sally also worked at a community-based sex offender treatment programme.

“I bring an adaptive and responsive leadership style, one that is particularly important in our current world where people are experiencing stress, change and uncertainty”, says Ms Babington.

Sally Babington brings a renewed direction for St Vincent de Paul Society Wellington and would like to acknowledge the 15 years of growth and service that has been achieved by Manager/ Secretary, John Rossbotham.