Introducing seniors living provider Levande

Strategy development work, resident consultation and the co-creation of an employee value proposition are underway at the nation’s newest retirement living brand – Levande, chief executive officer Suzanne Dvorak tells Australian Ageing Agenda.

EQT Infrastructure launched Levande last month following the completion of its acquisition of Stockland Group’s 58 villages across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. With more than 300 employees, Levande provides over 10,000 seniors an independent lifestyle and ability to age in place.

At the time of the launch, the organisation announced Ms Dvorak – who was most recently managing director of Bupa Villages and Aged Care Australia in charge of a team of more than 10,000 employees across 72 care homes – as CEO alongside businessman David Gonski as chair.

It is the early days of Levande’s journey and an exciting time, Ms Dvorak said. “One month on from Levande’s launch, I’m pleased to report that we are well underway with our strategy development work,” Ms Dvorak told AAA.

“We are currently consulting with our residents to better understand what they’re enjoying in their homes and villages, where they’d like to see improvements and any gaps in the current service offering.” She said the consultation process was a critically important part of the development of Levande’s strategy.

“Another priority at the moment is the co-creation of our employee value proposition with our Levande team, many of whom have transitioned across from Stockland,” Ms Dvorak said.

Levande is a Swedish word that means ‘vivid’ and ‘full of life’, which Ms Dvorak said captured the organisation’s offering of lifestyle living rather than retirement living. Many of Levande’s residents aren’t retired, she said. Some imagery of current Levande sites is below:

As Levande’s chair, Mr Gonski comes with decades of leadership experience. He is non-executive chair of Barrenjoey Capital Partners Group and Chancellor of UNSW, president of the Art Gallery of NSW Trust, and a director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy. He was previously chair of the ANZ Banking Group, Coca-Cola Amatil, Sydney Airport Corporation and ASX Ltd.

Mr Gonski said Levande would be a purpose-led business. “Part of the work in front of us is to shape our sustainability goals, which will be a core part of the brand’s value proposition. From decarbonisation targets to ensuring all new developments adhere to best-in-class sustainability metrics, Levande will seek to become the clear industry leader on all areas of ESG,” Mr Gonski said in a statement at the time of the launch.

The new board and executive leadership team are focused on continuing to invest in Levande’s portfolio to ensure the highest level of support for senior Australians, the organisation said. The change in ownership aims to provide the business with greater access to capital to drive growth.

Main image: David Gonski (left) and Suzanne Dvorak

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