“You see residents more than you see your own family”
After spending 13 years at Aveo Group working in various operation-based roles, including as a Regional Operations Manager, Andrew Mathews resisted the urge to return to village management for more than a decade.
The lure became irresistible when “the jewel in Ryman’s crown” became available.
He is now the Village Manager at Nellie Melba Retirement Village in Wheelers Hill, 23kms southeast of Melbourne’s CBD. Andrew has a wealth of experience in the retirement and hotel industries, having honed skills he says still underpins his new role – customer service while establishing hotels in both Australia and London and a private gentleman’s club in London.
During his time at Aveo, Andrew was involved with compliance and accreditation schemes, recruitment, staff inductions, business management, payroll and filling in as a village manager at the retirement villages he oversaw.
“Thirteen years is a long time, and you see residents more than you see your own family,” he said.
“The best part about the job and the hardest part about leaving was the residents.”
He knew the role at Nellie Melba was for him.
“Ryman has got a great name in the industry and it’s the first and only job I’ve applied for in a long time,” Andrew said.
“I think a lot of the skills required in establishing, opening and operating hotels and working in the retirement sector are similar because at the end of the day it’s all about customer service,” he says.
“The aspects of this role that really excite me are the size of the village – I wanted to manage a large village – and Nellie Melba certainly has a reputation as the jewel in Ryman’s crown.
“And I’m also excited about the aged care aspect because that is an area where I have not worked, so I am looking forward to learning from all of the experts at the village.”
Andrew is focused on ensuring both staff and residents know he leads alongside, rather than being isolated in an office.
“It’s important to me to go for morning and afternoon walks around the village,” he said.
“I don’t want to be a leader who is not accessible, but someone who goes down and visits the team in the laundry and knows each staff member by name, and the same goes for the residents.”
“I’m really loving the role. It’s challenging and engaging in all the right ways.”
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