Julian's First Year at Bowden

In 2007, Julian Sawicki was appointed as the Chief Executive of UnitingCare Wesley Bowden. After celebrating his first year, Julian gives some insight into his background and his thoughts about working for UCW Bowden.

Let's start with getting a better understanding of your background and career. How would you describe your background?

My background is in the service sector. After university I was involved in professional accounting and commercial positions in a range of sectors in Adelaide, interstate and overseas.  Apart from a very brief time working for a large manufacturing company, my professional career has been in the service and membership sectors, including the disability services sector, hence, I am well acquainted with the difficulties in the not for profit sector.

What prompted you to take the opportunity to be the Chief Executive of UnitingCare Wesley Bowden?

I had wanted to be in a Chief Executive role for many years.  Being appointed to UnitingCare Wesley Bowden offered and opportunity and challenge of leadership and the chance to make a difference, to leave some “footprints in the sand” and know that I have made a difference.  It has always mattered to me that I work for an organisation that had a purpose. I am very comfortable working in an enterprise that has a broader social purpose.

How do you feel that UCW Bowden differentiates from similar other Non-Gov Organisations in South Australia?

The gratifying feature of UCW Bowden for me is that we are a very diverse organisation providing services and assistance to many clients.  We are a “cradle to the grave” organisation.  We provide child care to babies as young as 6 weeks, assist people in the home who have an illness, an addiction, or are elderly, we care for the carers, we help refugees settle into a strange new land, we help those with gambling, alcohol and drug addiction, we help people with financial difficulties, we provide high quality residential aged care, we provide essential emergency relief to destitute families with nowhere else to turn, and through our Westside Housing Association, we provide people with affordable rental accommodation.  To do this requires dedication and love for our fellow human beings.  This is a vital quality and I see this every day in the staff and it is a quality that keeps me focused on the future.

How does it feel to know that UCW Bowden touches the lives of more than 60,000 people in South Australia each year?

It is both a fantastic and humbling one. To do something that really matters to the daily lives of so many is something that cannot be measured.  It makes Bowden and the people who work for it special!