TLC Healthcare Appoints Three Senior Executives To Drive Acute Care Entry and Scale Emerging Businesses

TLC Healthcare, has announced a multimillion-dollar investment in its executive leadership team, appointing three high-profile industry professionals to fortify its aged care business and spearhead the organisation’s strategic expansion into acute care and further accelerate its emerging business divisions.

Joining the executive team are Shaune Gillespie as Chief Acute Care Officer, alongside Kylie Afford and Ryan Thomas, who both join as Chief Operating Officers of TLC Aged Care. In a major structural alignment, all three newly appointed senior executives are Registered Nurses, bringing a profound depth of clinical governance, administrative prowess, and frontline healthcare expertise to TLC’s multi-tiered portfolio.

The appointment of two concurrent Chief Operating Officers for the aged care division comes as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Lou Pascuzzi, increases his strategic focus on the rapid development of TLC’s emerging business arms; TLC Early Learning, TLC Supplies, TLC Learning Academy and TLC Health Clubs. Ms. Afford and Mr. Thomas will jointly succeed long-standing Chief Operating Officer (Aged Care), Patsy Thomas, who is retiring after providing outstanding support to Mr.Pascuzzi for the past 11 years.

Shaune Gillespie joins TLC Healthcare on 5 October 2026 to lead the organisation’s landmark entry into the acute care sector. Mr. Gillespie will oversee the design, launch, and operations of five planned Hospital Day Surgeries, with the flagship facility scheduled to open in Hallam in 2028. Mr. Gillespie is a highly credentialed C-level healthcare leader and holds an MBA, a Graduate Diploma of Business Administration, and multiple postgraduate qualifications in health management and critical care nursing. He brings over 20 years of verifiable success in the public and private hospital sectors, recently serving as CEO of the Northern Private Hospital under Ramsay Health Care, where he successfully commissioned a 70-bed, multitheatre facility. His extensive background also includes tenures as CEO of Frances Perry House (Ramsay Health Care) and St. Vincent’s Private Hospital (East Melbourne and Kew), where he managed an $85 million P&L and 64 consulting practices.

Kylie Afford will step into her role as Chief Operating Officer (Aged Care) on 15 September 2026. Ms. Afford is an accomplished aged care executive with more than 19 years of leadership experience across residential, community, and health service settings. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Nursing and a Graduate Diploma in Gerontology. Moving from her current role as State Operations Manager at Arcare, Ms. Afford has a proven track record of managing significant operational expansions, successfully driving the growth of Arcare’s Victorian network from 19 to 32 residences. Her expertise spans rigorous clinical governance, Aged Care Quality Standards compliance, workforce cultural transformation, and the optimisation of multi-site operational performance.

Ryan Thomas also commences as Chief Operating Officer (Aged Care) on 15 September 2026, bringing an exceptional dual background in senior clinical nursing and seasoned aged care operations. Mr. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Nursing, a Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Aged Care), and a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration. He transitions from Australian Unity, where he serves as General Manager of RAC Operations, holding operational, clinical, and financial accountability for 1,217 customers and 2,200 workers across three states. Mr. Thomas’s career highlights include spearheading the financial and operational execution of the New Aged Care Act, driving facility occupancy beyond 97%, managing complex greenfield developments, and navigating high-pressure regulatory turnarounds.