How leaders can build trust for tougher boardroom conversations

Laying the groundwork for strong relationships during the good times, also enables difficult conversations, when necessary, says Ryan Ebert, CEO of Sue's Home Care Nursing.

Ryan Ebert has worn many hats in his career, from startup founder to global corporate leader to industry lecturer in business and healthcare. Crucially, he has also sat on both sides of the board equation - as an executive tasked with keeping the board informed and as a board member asking pertinent questions of the CEO. He says his experience interacting with a wide range of people and perspectives has indelibly shaped his current role as CEO at Sue's Home Care Nursing. This family-owned, NDIS-registered business is a healthcare provider offering clinically-led, 24/7, in-home disability support, aged, dementia and palliative care.

"I feel I'm probably doing better than I would've done a decade ago without that diversity of experience, and maybe it comes down to feeling less defensive when challenged by the board," he says. "Even if I have that initial human reaction of, No, I don't agree with that', I now think, No, this is good.

This is what the board is for. They're here to challenge you.'"

A better kind of ageing

Ebert says better in-home care can help older people avoid unnecessary hospital stays, ease pressure on the public system and create a better experience of ageing. "What really appealed to me about this opportunity was that I was fortunate enough to do some study overseas and conduct a deep dive into a thesis around living to 100: How do we do it on our own terms, in our own homes? So what interests me is, how do we support this ageing population to stay in their own homes?"

Being able to offer premium in-home care is part of the organisation's purpose according to Ebert. "Our broad North Star, among the board and myself, is that Australia does not have a market-leading premium home care provider. So we don't want to be a volume provider," he says.

"I really want to create a great experience, because the more we can move aged care towards later living - which is really what is happening, we're all living longer - the better everything will be," says Ebert. "Without quality in-home support, minor incidents can quickly lead to decline in health, but also the ability to stay in your own home ongoing. When something does happen - like a minor fall or a urinary tract infection - people end up in hospital. If they don't have anything else in place, they just stay in the hospital system.

"So the more that we can play a small part in helping the bigger problem, the better."

Build the relationship

Prior to joining Sue's Home Care Nursing in late 2025, Ebert had trained as a physiotherapist, lectured at Melbourne's top universities, worked for health insurer Bupa in Melbourne and the UK, and studied for his executive MBA at Cambridge.

He also founded two health startups - Health 2 You and HealthLogic Physiotherapy - as well as Innings, a venture capital firm in the healthcare sector. "I come from an entrepreneurial, fast background," he says. "So, it was always about how do we build? How do we just go, go, go?"

This approach left very little time for coffee catch-ups or relationship building over lengthy dinners. "You had to be very financially prudent, so the idea of having a board dinner may have been seen as a waste of time," he says.

Ebert now views these kinds of catch-ups as crucial. "The reality is, we're humans and the relationship and stakeholder management side can help to diffuse tense situations," he says.

"When you get to meet somebody and connect on that relationship level, invest time in that and appreciate that a board goes on a journey - just like a business, a CEO or a startup goes on a journey - then you realise it can't work without investing that time in people."

Laying the groundwork for strong relationships during the good times also enables hard conversations when necessary. "It can mean that down the line, you can have some frank and difficult conversations much more constructively."

You might disagree with someone, but you understand the person, and therefore the whole picture, better. "You realise that as much as this person is a director or an executive, they're also a parent and a sports fan, and passionate about this cause." he says. "You can see where they're coming from."