Meet Michael – Rocky Bay cEO

If you’ve ever visited our Mosman Park hub, it’s likely you have met Rocky Bay’s CEO, Michael Tait, during one of your visits!

Michael has lead Rocky Bay since 2006 and has guided the organisation through enormous changes, including our expansion of services, supported accommodation and hubs across Perth metro and the Mid-West, and ensuring Rocky Bay had the right process and people in place to fully embrace the NDIS.

Michael’s career prior to Rocky Bay has seen him work across the health, hospitality and property development sectors, working in Polynesia, Indonesia, UK and Europe for national and internationally based organisations.

Michael is a member CEO of Ability First Australia, an association of Australia’s leading disability services organisations of which Rocky Bay is a founding member; he also sits on the Board and is involved in many national disability issues.

Get to know Michael, and his take on Rocky Bay’s new look, a little better with our Q&A!

Describe a typical day as CEO of Rocky Bay?

Looking at the current week, it is pretty full with attending meetings (internal and external with suppliers, government, sector colleagues), coaching and stimulating managers, decision making, reading proposals, financials and reports, and writing Board and Executive papers. Also planning and thinking, which I do need to allow myself far more time for, as this is absolutely crucial to keep on top of culture, trends, lobbying, direction setting, strategy, and finances.

What do you love most about your role?

It is both a proud and privileged position to be able to lead and maintain a positive legacy of such a historic, quality organisation, employing such great people whom have such a significant impact on so many Western Australians – I am fortunate to witness heart-warming and engaging stories virtually every day!

Can you tell us why Rocky Bay needed a fresh, new look?

Every organisation needs to freshen itself regularly to both maintain relevance and ensure contemporary to the services and offering of the day.

Following an extensive review of our brand at the end of 2019, along with many of our peers, it was evident that Rocky Bay needed to be seen as more customer-focused and that it also needed to freshen its image or risk being thought of as staid, old-school and old-fashioned – which I am proud to say, is not the case in terms of our striving to make our services as contemporary as possible, but our look and feel was at risk of becoming a bit stale.

What do you love to do in your free time?

I am an avid reader and gardener. We are very family orientated and I try and keep as active as possible – running, cycling and walking.

What are three things you can’t live without and why?

• Family – we are fortunate to have a close family unit and they keep me grounded

• Books and music – I Iike to read a lot and generally have music on in the background tempered to the mood of the day

• Greenery – my wife and I were both fortunate to grow up on farms, and so we both need to be surrounded by plants and gardens, and we also live opposite a park so we feel less hemmed in, although in a big city.