APAC Insider- Australian CEO Excellence Awards 2025 | 16 Ohana Community Services specialises in the provision of real-life support services built from lived experience, going beyond service delivery to foster real connections and create safe, faith-led environments where people are seen and heard. Across her role as the CEO of this crisis intervention and frontline consultancy delivering allied health support in Queensland, Penelope ‘Penny’ Cooper wears many hats. However, people are always at the heart of what she does. Recognised here for her compassion, we had the pleasure of catching up with Penny for more about her work. Leading a team of individuals who see their life’s work as being to create real change in the lives of their community’s most vulnerable members, Penny Cooper is much more than one of those CEOs found sitting behind a desk all day. Whether she is on the ground with her team, supporting frontline workers, writing plans, or meeting with families, her passion makes sure that the soul of Ohana Community Services is never lost. The authenticity she brings to the role is as refreshing as it is inspiring for those around her. A neurodivergent mother to four autistic children, Penny has seen first-hand the consequences of support systems failing. Through Ohana, this neurodivergent CEO building real change in Australia is proud to be part of the solution for families everywhere. Her blending of lived experience with professional expertise allows her company to offer a comprehensive suite of integrated allied health and disability services under the one roof, embodying the role of both a crisis response expert and an advocator. “I work towards this every day by staying connected to both the frontline and the boardroom. I listen, act, and lead with purpose. At Ohana, we’re not just ticking boxes. We’re rebuilding trust in services, one human interaction at a time.” In contrast to many CEOs, Penny was never educated to lead. Her training ground was not a fancy business school, but the house of a single mother raising four children with additional needs. This is where Penny learnt the real skills that it takes to be a leader: compassion, strength, determination, and how to stretch a dollar further than was ever thought possible. Penny’s time spent as a crisis chaplain further strengthened the skills she had learned, and these experiences have shaped her into a grounded, values-led CEO. On the back of this, Penny has built Ohana to be the kind of service she wished had existed when she first began navigating the system with her own children. This involves offering more than just therapy, but giving people access to a team who really care and are not afraid to get into the thick of it. The result is a culture with a value system that isn’t just painted on a wall – but seen daily in how the team show up and go the extra mile for people in need. Penny added: “Every client, every time. That’s the Ohana way.” Building everything from the ground up based almost solely on what Penny had noticed was missing in the current system of community services, Ohana has been all about moving fast and being responsive since day one – not adding people to months-long waitlists or having to sift through red tape. The industry is changing fast, and this company is there to keep things real, navigating the burnout experienced by many professionals in this setting by refusing to become part of the noise – focusing on measurable impact, not optics. Leaving many of the inherent industry challenges in the dust as a result of Penny’s straighttalking leadership style and a willingness to follow her heart and her head over trends, 2025 is shaping up to be another big year for Ohana. Expanding its reach, growing its teams, and continuously refining the support it delivers are all in the pipeline, and the company even has some exciting projects in the works that involve blending the latest technologies with a human-first approach to further nurture a long-term community impact. Ultimately, this all goes back to Penny establishing the business out of necessity, sleepless nights, and a drive to see that no other family ever feels as lost as she did by the state of the support they are provided. Reflecting on both her journey and this award, Penny shared: “I’m not a textbook CEO. I’m a mum, a chaplain, a crisis responder, and a leader who’s lived it. And that’s the edge – we lead with lived experience, not just policy. That’s what makes Ohana Community Services different, and that’s what keeps us strong.” Contact: Penelope ‘Penny’ Cooper Company: Ohana Community Services Web Address: https:// ohanacommunityservices. com/ Most Compassionate Community Services CEO 2025: Penny Cooper AIM-Jun25028
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