Gary Groves
Chief Executive Officer
With over 25 years of extensive experience in the public service and community sectors, Gary has dedicated his career to supporting vulnerable populations and fostering innovation in service delivery. He has held senior executive positions in the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Family and Community Services, and NSW Police. Previously, he served as the CEO of a large community services organisation, concentrating on the provision of essential services across areas such as Mental Health, NDIS, Aged Care and Family support. His experience on voluntary boards and contributions to societal well-being are invaluable in driving initiatives that enable communities to thrive.
As Chief Executive Officer at ReachOut Australia, Gary is at the forefront of advancing digital mental health initiatives that empower young people on their mental health journeys. He leads the organisation with a commitment to maximising impact, ensuring sustainable resources, and enhancing collaborations with sector partners and funders. Gary is a staunch advocate for the belief that access to confidential and supportive resources is a fundamental right for all individuals facing life’s challenges.
He holds a degree in Policing and postgraduate qualifications in Crime Prevention and Criminology from Charles Sturt University. Additionally, he is a credentialed member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a fellow of the Australian New Zealand Executive Leadership School of Government.
With a passion for youth mental health awareness and innovation, Gary is dedicated to developing and implementing strategies that improve accessibility to vital mental health support, ensuring that ReachOut remains a leading resource for young Australians as they navigate their paths to thrive.
Jackie Hallan
Deputy CEO
Jackie has over 15 years of leadership experience supporting young people, driven by a deep commitment to creating meaningful impact.
Before joining ReachOut, Jackie led the expansion of the SunSmart program across NSW and spearheaded the award-winning Sun Sound youth skin cancer prevention campaign at Cancer Council NSW.
As Deputy CEO of ReachOut, Jackie oversees a centre of excellence in digital mental health and wellbeing, ensuring high-quality, safe, and engaging support services. She leads the Service Delivery team, which champions the power of lived experience and safe storytelling, offering vital support to young people, parents, and carers through PeerChat, Online Communities, self-help content, our Youth Involvement program and clinical governance.
Jackie also leads the Operations team, fostering an efficient, thriving workplace that enables the broader ReachOut team to deliver exceptional services. This includes overseeing finance, governance, compliance, and people and culture functions.
She holds a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology and a Diploma of Management from the Australian Institute of Management.
Björn Bohme
Director of Product, Design and Technology
Björn is passionate and curious about evolving ways to help young people feel better through the use of online services. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the IT industry.
Prior to joining ReachOut, he was the Chief Technology Officer for ANZ at CTM, one of the largest travel management companies in the world, where he had overall responsibility for developing and rolling out their technical platform, as well as ensuring agreed service levels were met.
Björn has also worked as a senior technical and business consultant for a number of global blue-chip enterprises including Lufthansa, Ericsson and Bang & Olufsen. He holds a Masters Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Linköping University in Sweden.
The Product, Research and Technology team is responsible for Product Development and Design, Research, and Information Security.
