Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Anitha M Balagurunathan

Truganina,VIC

Summary

Strategic leader and performance driven management professional with tertiary qualifications in Biosciences and project management, over 15 years extensive experience in program delivery, risk management and stakeholder collaboration. Adept at driving risk maturity, implementing governance frameworks, and leveraging data insights to inform decision making.


Certified in PRINCE2, Agile Project Management with strong background delivering key transformational projects in disability, public health and government sectors and NPF organisations.

Overview

2026
2026
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Asst. Director/Acting Director, Risk Management

NDIA
01.2024 - Current
  • Trusted risk advisory, coach and support the NDIA business areas to achieve operational, people objectives with a focus on supporting the Agency and its partners to prevent, detect and respond to threats in delivering the disability scheme.
  • Working closely with Boards and Executive leadership, to support with strategic and business planning activities and ongoing assessment of risk and operationalising the Agency's Risk Management Strategy.
  • Regulatory obligations and reporting to the Senior Leadership.
  • Monitoring and analysing the risk environment to identify opportunities to enhance risk and control systems.
  • Facilitating cross functional risk communications on risk management issues and initiatives across the Agency's business teams.
  • Negotiate and influence the risk discussions, providing risk reporting and insights to Agency Executives and the Board.
  • Enhanced team collaboration through regular communication, goal setting, and performance evaluations.
  • Strengthened internal controls by reviewing existing policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
  • Proactively identify potential risks and implemented mitigation strategies to minimise negative impacts on projects or business operations.

Acting Director, Risk Infrastructure, Risk Management Branch

NDIA
02.2022 - 01.2024
  • Lead Risk Infrastructure initiatives & projects from concept to design to deliver outcomes within timelines and available resources.
  • Plan and manage the development of Archer GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) platform based on the agency’s wide stakeholder requirements.
  • Provide leadership support to the teams to enhance the Platform
  • Lead and deliver Agency’s Risk management objectives with strong stakeholder management and partnership across other NDIA groups, divisions, and branches.
  • Lead, guide, and deliver training in risk management systems and processes.
  • Provide risk reporting and insights to the Agency Execs and Board.
  • Identify gaps and opportunities to enhance risk, control system processes.

Assistant Director, Risk Advisory, Projects

NDIA
01.2022 - 02.2022
  • Provided Project Risk specialist advise and support to the Agency's strategic programs within the NDIA aligning with project delivery and operational risk frameworks.
  • Guided the capture of risk data into risk registers, monitor and analyse trends, reporting insights and escalate issues.
  • Manage, deliver, and monitor projects in accordance with the Agency’s project management framework.
  • Collaborated with Risk Branch and business teams to assist ongoing improvement of risk maturity in the Branch and Agency.
  • Facilitated cross-departmental collaboration to achieve strategic objectives, fostering culture of teamwork and innovation.

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER| Program Manager

Alfred Health(ANZSCTS Registry)
07.2020 - 12.2022
  • Deliver high-quality project coordination and research services to support the operations of the ANZSCTS Database Program.
  • Led complex and specialised projects from conception to completion, including risk and in collaboration and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.
  • Lead National Cardiac Registry Database program , facilitating inter-disciplinary workshops and delivering stakeholder informed, data-led solutions.
  • End-to end-to-end program leadership, defining business needs and scoping solutions to embedding sustainable practices through change management and training.
  • Established effective communication channels with stakeholders to ensure transparency and alignment of expectations.
  • Developed comprehensive project plans, identifying risks and mitigation strategies for timely completion.
  • Led cross-functional teams for successful project delivery within scope, schedule, and budget constraints.
  • Streamlined project management processes by implementing agile methodologies, resulting in improved efficiency and reduced costs.
  • Ensured compliance with industry regulations by staying current on changes in legislation or guidelines relevant to projects'' scopes.
  • Established and managed change management processes to fulfill successful project transitions.
  • Communicated project plans and progress to key stakeholders and project contributors.

Senior Project Officer/ PROJECT LEAD

Dementia Australia (Dept. of Health)
01.2018 - 01.2020
  • Managed all aspects of project planning, development, and implementation for a range of dementia projects, including developing project plans, coordinating resources, managing budgets, ensuring project outcomes are achieved on time, on budget, to quality standards and within agreed scope in line with established project management methodology.
  • Led the development of policies, templates, and guidance documents to facilitate workplace enhancements.
  • Preparation of reports, presentations, and publications for internal and external audiences, including governmental reports.
  • Identified continuous improvement activities by initiating the implementation of process and quality improvement initiatives.
  • Monitored project progress, identified risks and took corrective action as needed.
  • Streamlined project management processes by implementing Agile methodologies and improving team communication.
  • Developed comprehensive project plans that clearly outlined objectives, timelines, budgets, risks, and success metrics for all stakeholders.

PROJECT MANAGER

Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (Department of Health)
01.2015 - 01.2018
  • Project Management of ACTA’s health research projects to meet the organisational objectives, working with various reference (working) groups and special interest groups
  • Managed and supported the implementation of the activity plan under a Medical Research Future Fund government grant.
  • Coordinating multiple projects and handling interdependencies
  • Managing project budgets and allocation of funds
  • Led the development and dissemination of best practice guidelines for prioritisation of clinical trials conducted by Clinical Trials Network.
  • Prepared detailed reports on project status for stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment with objectives.
  • Negotiated and managed third-party contracts related to project deliverables.
  • Implementation of risk management strategies in ACTA’s project workshops.
  • Mentored junior team members in project management best practices to enhance their skills and contribute to better overall performance.

HEARING HEALTH OFFICER/ Clinical Projects Lead

AUSTRALIAN HEARING
01.2012 - 01.2015
  • Development of business plans to meet the objectives of clinical practice and its principals.
  • Development of hearing services guidelines, documents, and reports.
  • Continuous review of the operating environment of the hearing health processes according to the legislative guidelines.
  • Telehealth support and management for remote patients in the regional areas.
  • Fostered partnerships with non-governmental organizations to support the implementation of various public health programs.
  • Ensured timely access to essential medical services by coordinating efficient patient referrals and transportation systems.
  • Developed comprehensive health policies to guide the provision of quality healthcare services in the community.
  • Patient care planning and design involving identification of clinical issues, risk screening, compliance monitoring and assessments.
  • Management of patient portal and clinical systems.

Assistant Director, Risk Infrastructure & Projects

NDIA
  • Business requirements gathering, identifying, and documenting business processes.
  • Effective evaluation of solutions and design with the stakeholders and SMEs.
  • Archer platform management, lead workshops and training with key stakeholders.
  • Dashboards designs and reports configurations in Archer to inform regulated reporting.
  • Risk Reporting and insights to Agency Executives.
  • Facilitation of cross functional risk communications on risk management issues and initiatives.

Project Officer

National Hearing Care
04.2009 - 08.2011
  • Developed and monitored project schedules, budgets and objectives for successful completion.
  • Monitored progress against established metrics continually adjusting strategies as needed to achieve desired results successfully.
  • Monitored deadlines and milestones to keep team on track with project schedule.
  • Collaborated closely with clients to clarify project requirements, goals, budgets, timelines, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
  • Allocated project resources to drive productivity and maximize efficiency.
  • Implemented quality control measures to minimize errors and maintain high standards throughout the project lifecycle.

Software Data Migration/Business Validation Tester

Telstra
08.2008 - 03.2009
  • Ensured compliance with industry standards by rigorously following established testing methodologies and best practices.
  • Identified critical bugs through thorough testing processes, enhancing overall product performance.
  • Maintained test environment stability by conducting regular maintenance and system upgrades, ensuring accurate testing results.
  • Collaborated with development teams to resolve defects and improve the overall stability of applications.

Education

Master of Science - Biotechnology

University of Madras
India
04-2006

Bachelor of Science - Biochemistry

University of Madras
India
03-2004

Diploma - Hearing Device Prescription & Evaluation

TAFE, NSW
01-2010

Skills

  • Project Management tools: JIRA, Confluence, Mondaycom, Trello, Insightly
  • Data & Reporting: Power BI, Archer, MS Visio, SharePoint
  • GRC Platforms: Archer GRC, Service Now, IBM
  • Root-cause Analysis tools (5 Whys, Fishbone Diagram-Ishikawa Diagram, Mapping)

    • Key Skills and Competencies

  • Risk Management & Governance
  • Program/Project Management
  • Stakeholder Management
  • Data-Driven decision making
  • Grant proposals
  • Team leadership
  • Business planning

Certification

PRINCE 2 Qualified

Agile Project Management


Timeline

Asst. Director/Acting Director, Risk Management

NDIA
01.2024 - Current

Acting Director, Risk Infrastructure, Risk Management Branch

NDIA
02.2022 - 01.2024

Assistant Director, Risk Advisory, Projects

NDIA
01.2022 - 02.2022

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER| Program Manager

Alfred Health(ANZSCTS Registry)
07.2020 - 12.2022

Senior Project Officer/ PROJECT LEAD

Dementia Australia (Dept. of Health)
01.2018 - 01.2020

PROJECT MANAGER

Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (Department of Health)
01.2015 - 01.2018

HEARING HEALTH OFFICER/ Clinical Projects Lead

AUSTRALIAN HEARING
01.2012 - 01.2015

Project Officer

National Hearing Care
04.2009 - 08.2011

Software Data Migration/Business Validation Tester

Telstra
08.2008 - 03.2009

Assistant Director, Risk Infrastructure & Projects

NDIA

Master of Science - Biotechnology

University of Madras

Bachelor of Science - Biochemistry

University of Madras

Diploma - Hearing Device Prescription & Evaluation

TAFE, NSW

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Anitha M Balagurunathan