Women's Mental Health Australia (WMHA) is proud to announce the appointment of Katrina Locandro as Chief Operating Officer, recognising her significant contribution to the organisation's growth and impact over the past six years.
Since joining WMHA in 2020 in a community-focused role, Katrina has played a central role in shaping the organisation's strategic direction alongside Founder and CEO Luke Morris.
Over the past six years, she has helped drive WMHA's growth into a national voice for women's mental health across gender-specific research, advocacy, educational programs, and awareness initiatives.
Her appointment to COO reflects both the scale of WMHA's continued growth and the increasing need to recognise how biology, life stages and social experiences are shaping mental health outcomes for Australian women.
WMHA Founder and CEO, Luke Morris, said Katrina's leadership has been instrumental in helping the organisation grow its reach, influence and impact nationally.
"Katrina has played an incredibly important role in shaping WMHA into the organisation it is today. She brings a rare combination of strategic thinking, operational leadership and genuine commitment to improving outcomes for women in this country," Mr Morris said.
"As we continue expanding our work and impact nationally, I'm excited to have Katrina stepping into the COO role to help lead the next phase of growth for the organisation."
"She understands not only how to build an organisation, but how to ensure the work remains deeply connected to the women we are here to support."
Speaking on her appointment, Katrina said her focus remains on ensuring women's lived experiences are reflected in the research and systems designed to support them.
"One of the most powerful parts of working in women's mental health is hearing directly from women about the challenges they are facing and the barriers they continue to encounter when trying to access support," Ms Locandro said.
"Whether it's workplace burnout, maternal mental health, the misdiagnosis or late diagnosis of mental health conditions, caregiving pressures, or difficulty navigating the mental health system, women's experiences are complex, interconnected and too often sidelined because it can seem too hard to find a solution."
"My commitment in this role is to continue strengthening the connection between research, advocacy and real-world impact, ensuring women's voices are not sidelined, but instead used to help shape the policies, programs and systems designed to support them."
"There is still so much work to do, but I'm incredibly driven and hopeful about what can be achieved when women's voices, experiences and realities are placed at the centre of the conversation."
Katrina's appointment comes at a significant period of growth for WMHA, as the organisation continues expanding its national research, advocacy and educational programs to improve how women's mental health is supported across Australia.
About us:
Women's Mental Health Australia is the nation's leading organisation dedicated to improving mental health outcomes for women across the lifespan. Aimed at addressing the unique and often overlooked mental health challenges faced by women and girls, Women's Mental Health Australia advocates for the critical need for a gendered approach to research, policy, and mental health care. Through year-round advocacy, funding of targeted research, and development of evidence-based educational programs and resources, Women's Mental Health Australia collaborates with government, industry, and community to drive meaningful change in how women's mental health is understood and treated across the country. Visit: www.womensmentalhealthaustralia.org.au
