NEWMARKET, Ont. – Following an extensive Canada-wide search by Southlake Regional Health Centre’s Board of Directors, Arden Krystal (pictured) has been appointed as Southlake’s incoming president and chief executive officer (CEO), effective October 10, 2017. She takes over from retiring president and CEO Dr. Dave Williams.

Arden Krystal, who began her career as a registered nurse in medical and surgical oncology and moved on to executive healthcare roles, began her new role at Southlake earlier this month.

Since 2008, Arden has held senior executive roles in two of the largest health regions in Canada: the Fraser Health Authority (FHA) and the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) in British Columbia.

In those roles, she was responsible for leading thousands of staff and physicians, improving and sustaining quality of care and overseeing financial stewardship of budgets totalling over $1 billion.

Krystal holds a master of health administration degree from the University of British Columbia. Southlake praised her expertise in operations leadership, her focus on energizing people and improving patient and employee experiences and her ability in overseeing large, complex organizations.

Arden will continue Southlake’s commitment to the Ultimate Hospital Experience.

Most recently, Arden was executive vice president, patient and employee experience at the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA). The PHSA is responsible for British Columbia’s quaternary care delivery organizations and leads locally delivered specialty care through planning and commissioning services.

PHSA has a total operating budget of $2.5-billion, 19,000 employees and physicians and is the fifth largest health research enterprise in Canada.

Arden has contributed to the delivery of quality healthcare for almost 32 years in an impressive range of progressive roles, primarily in operational management.

Southlake looks forward to her leadership for its people and patients as it evolves and expands care in Newmarket, Ontario and across the region.