Senior Leadership Team 

Denise Hardenne, President and CEO

An accomplished health executive, Denise Hardenne has held progressively more senior roles in health authorities and at Halton Healthcare for over three decades, culminating in her current position as President and Chief Executive Officer. Denise has been a surveyor with Accreditation Canada since 1998 and joined the Board of Governors of Waterstone Human Capital’s, Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures in 2022.

During her tenure at Halton Healthcare, Denise has overseen the organization’s progression to 5,228 staff, 931 medical and professional staff and 1,280 volunteers, and growth in operating funding to over a half billion dollars annually. She has led organizational transformation, with a strong strategic focus on purpose and delivering on a vision of exemplary patient experiences, always. Denise has also successfully delivered three major hospital infrastructure projects with a total value of $3.36 billion at Halton Healthcare, including the new 1.6 million square foot Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, the modernized Georgetown Hospital, and the expanded Milton District Hospital. Her expertise in planning and operational readiness has ensured not only on-time and on-budget delivery of these projects but also the seamless opening of the new facilities.

Denise holds an MBA from Queen’s University and an MCED and BSN from the University of Saskatchewan. She is also a Johnson & Johnson Wharton Fellow from the Wharton School of Business and completed the Not-for-Profit Governance Essentials program at the Rotman School of Business. Denise has published and presented extensively on many aspects of hospital administration and operations.

Dr. David McConachie, Chief of Staff

Since joining Halton Healthcare in 1993, Dr. McConachie has held several critical medical leadership roles and maintained a busy clinical practice. Dr. McConachie has been instrumental in shaping the current OTMH medical model of care and has led transformational changes in many programs and departments. He has extensive credentialing and physician performance management experience, has mentored several medical professionals, and has been an active member on a number of internal and external committees including Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Intensive Care and Mississauga Halton LHIN-CV Steering Committee. Dr. McConachie will continue his clinical practice as a Cardiologist and Intensivist, bringing his expertise to all three hospitals. Dr. McConachie is dedicated to exemplary patient and family focused care, the growth of our collaborative culture and the on-going development of an inclusive medical staff team across all of our hospitals and community locations.

Joan Jickling, Senior Vice President Patient Engagement & Chief Nursing Executive

Joan Jickling is a Registered Nurse with more than 25 years of experience in a variety of clinical, advanced practice and management roles. Joan has led the Halton Healthcare Quality and Patient Relations program since 2014 and has been instrumental in developing the patient safety, relations and engagement programs and managing risk, ethics and spiritual care portfolios. She has also successfully supported the Board Quality Committee and led prior Accreditation processes resulting in the highest award possible of Exemplary Standing. Joan holds a Bachelor of Science from Western University, a Master of Nursing from the University of Toronto, and a certification in Clinical Safety and Effectiveness from the University of Texas Southwestern. She is also an associate faculty member for the IDEAS Foundations in Quality Improvement Program, at the University of Toronto. Joan held the SVP/CNE role on an interim basis from April 2021 onwards during which time she was appointed to the Board of Directors as the Chief Nursing Executive.

Al Coady, Senior Vice President, Redevelopment, Facilities & Retail Operations

Al has more than 25 years of progressive experience in project planning and management in the private and public sectors, including policy development and finance. He brings extensive knowledge of hospital facility planning to his position and is no stranger to the organization, having served in progressive roles from 2012 to 2020.

Prior to returning to Halton Healthcare, Coady served in the position of Chief Project Officer and led the planning of Project Horizon – the redevelopment project of The Hospital for Sick Children. In his career he has also held public service positions within several Ontario ministries involving other successful hospital redevelopment projects.

Hilary Rodrigues, Senior Vice President, Corporate Services, Performance & Chief Financial Officer

Hilary Rodrigues joined Halton Healthcare on September 18, 2017 as Vice President, Corporate Services and CFO. Previous to this role, Hilary held the position of VP Corporate Services and CFO for the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and was responsible for overseeing Finance, Environmental Services, Food Services as well as other corporate functions. During his healthcare career Hilary successfully led several programs and initiatives designed to improve financial performance, integrate policy development and positively improve patient experiences across complex clinical and administrative environments. Hilary is a strategic and proven systems approach leader with a high commitment to supporting hospital operations, government partnerships and Board governance.

With a progressive career spanning over 25 years Hilary has held leadership and planning roles at Trillium Health Centre, the Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network (MHLHIN), Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, University Health Network and St. Michael’s Hospital.

Hilary holds a Masters in Health Management (MHM) from McMaster University, Bachelor of Commerce and Finance degree from the University of Toronto, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.

Dr. Daniel Edgcumbe, Vice President Medical Affairs

Dr. Daniel Edgcumbe joined Halton Healthcare as the Vice President Medical Affairs in January 2020. Dan received his formal medical education and training at the University of Cambridge, England. He undertook residency training in family medicine and worked in England before moving to Canada in 2012, where he practiced family medicine together with emergency medicine, as well as caring for inpatients and patients in continuing care facilities in Alberta

He holds a postgraduate certificate in medical education from the University of Dundee, and has held academic appointments as an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Alberta, and as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary. He is honoured to have received the Early Educator Award from the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary in 2016. He has previously been a Practice Readiness Assessor with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, and been an examiner for the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part II.

He has significant progressive experience in medical leadership including a number of executive-level roles in Alberta Health Services, most recently as Zone Medical Director for Central Zone. In this latter role he was responsible for medical operation and physician leadership across more than 30 acute care and 40 continuing care facilities. He was privileged to successfully complete the Alberta Health Services Executive Education Program, and earned a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Edgcumbe is an experienced relationship builder, a strong advocate for patients and their families and is focused on medical leadership development and contributing to the ongoing transformation of Halton Healthcare.

Monica Bettazzoni, Chief Operating Officer, Georgetown Hospital

Monica Bettazzoni holds a Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Toronto. She has been a vital part of the Halton Healthcare team for over ten years in the role of Program Director, Mental Health, Central Intake and Self-Management Programs. Monica has provided exceptional leadership on several key projects and initiatives including the Mental Health Program expansion, the move to the new Oakville Hospital and the integration of the North Halton Mental Health Clinics from Halton Region to Halton Healthcare. She was also Co-Chair of the Mental Health and Addictions Work Stream for the Connected Care Halton Ontario Health Team. Over the course of the pandemic, Monica has also held a leadership position within the Halton Healthcare COVID-19 Emergency Operations Centre, as an integral part of the team directing the organization’s overall pandemic response and recovery efforts. Monica is described as a humble and thoughtful leader who has well-established relationships within Halton Healthcare and with the many partners that contribute to the hospital community.

Brendan Kwolek, Chief Information and Digital Officer

Brendan first joined Halton Healthcare in 2018 as Director, ICT & Biomedical Engineering and more recently as the Executive Director, Interchange Project & ICT. Brendan has led several strategic initiatives and organization wide projects related to cybersecurity, virtual care and improved overall customer engagement. Previously, Brendan held several positions at Women’s College Hospital, completing his term as Director, IM/IT where he helped lead the building of their ambulatory electronic patient record and patient portal. Brendan also contributed to advancing the electronic medical record at North York General during his time there as Project Manager. Brendan holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from York University, is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and has attended the Rotman Executive Program at the University of Toronto. More recently, he has joined the Board of the Children’s Treatment Network.

Michele Leroux, Chief Human Resources Officer

Michele Leroux joined Halton Healthcare in September 2022 as the organization’s Chief Human Resources Officer. She is a seasoned Human Resources professional with nearly two decades of leadership experience in both the public and private sector. Michele joined Halton Healthcare after six years at Hamilton Health Sciences where she most recently held the position of Vice President, Human Resources. Prior to that her career included 13 years at McMaster University and roles in the private sector, including at Ford Motor Company.

Michele has an impressive track record of leading change, enabling technology and driving continuous improvement. She is passionate about leading HR innovation, enabling staff engagement and fostering partnerships. She has an Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management.

Cindy McDonell, Senior Vice President, Clinical Operations

Cindy McDonell joined in 1986 as the Director of Education and Quality Management and later assumed the role of Assistant Executive Director of Patient Services. In 1998, following the amalgamation of the Milton District Hospital and the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, Cindy was appointed as the Program Leader of the newly established Milton Family Practice Program and Chief Operating Officer of the Milton District Hospital. In January 2006, with the addition of Georgetown Hospital to Halton Healthcare, she assumed the position of the Georgetown Family Practice Program Leader and Chief Operating Officer of Georgetown Hospital. Cindy brings over 30 years of clinical, education and administrative experience to her role.

Carole Moore, Chief Operating Officer, Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital

Carole Moore was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) in 2016. She joined Halton Healthcare in 2015, serving as Chief Operating Officer; OTMH Transitions responsible for overseeing the operational readiness work needed to prepare for the opening of the new hospital, including equipment procurement, IT implementation, risk mitigation and move logistics. Previously, Carole was Vice-President, Quality, Risk and Organizational Effectiveness at Markham-Stouffville Hospital, responsible for infection prevention and control; human resources; patient relations; quality and risk management. Carole’s clinical experience includes surgical services, neuroscience, paediatric emergency, ambulatory care, hemodialysis and homecare. A nurse by profession, Carole holds a BScN (Lakehead University) and an MBA (Wilfred Laurier University).

Janet Skupsky, Chief Operating Officer, Milton District Hospital

Janet Skupsky transferred to the Milton District Hospital in 2009 in the role of Program Director Milton Family Practice, and as of April 2012, she also assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO), Milton District Hospital. Janet has a very long history with Halton Healthcare, holding the position of Program Director Emergency/Ambulatory Care at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital for over twenty years prior to her transfer to Milton District Hospital. Janet has developed an incredible reputation as a highly skilled and extremely hard working leader of some of our most critically important services at both the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and Milton District Hospitals.