JAMES McInnes is off to a welcome start in his tenure as the interim chief executive of the Casterton Memorial Hospital.

Known as ‘Mac’ by colleagues, Mr McInnes has been appointed to the role over a four-month period as the hospital prepares for the arrival of a permanent chief executive in mid-April.

He has taken leave from his existing leadership role at Western District Health Service in Hamilton to temporarily fill the position in Casterton.

Hospital chairwoman, Liz McKinnon said Mr McInnes brought a wealth of experience to the role, having worked in various fields including mental health, community and allied health, as well as child protection and criminal justice.

“Mac is a fantastic addition to the CMH team and we look forward to leveraging his knowledge, skills and experience to support this period of renewal,” she said.

“He will be instrumental during this secondment in embedding our new strategic plan across the organisation and creating a new CMH brand.

“(They are) initiatives we look forward to sharing with our community in the New Year.”

Mr McInnes is originally from the city of Glasgow in Scotland, where he had worked in the health industry from the late 1990s.

He made the move to Australia in 2011 and, although he initially sought to settle in one of the big cities, found himself taking on a job availability in Warrnambool.

“I’m not sure if I looked at the South West or the South West found me,” he said.

“I saw this job opportunity coming up at this place called South West Healthcare in Warrnambool, so I applied for the job, was successful and we only ever intended staying for two years and then moving into Melbourne.”

However, he said it was the regional community which convinced him to remain in the south-west.

“South-west Victoria’s just beautiful,” he said.

“People are super friendly and we’ve been made so welcome as a family.”

Mr McInnes served South West Healthcare for six years before he made the move to Hamilton’s WDHS, where he has been for the last 5.5 years.

Mr McInnes said coming on as the interim chief executive was a “fantastic opportunity”.

“I look forward to being here during that transition period between the two CEOs,” he said.

Although his familiarity with the Casterton had been limited prior to taking on the role, he said he had been made “so welcome” since starting his tenure.

“Everybody’s been really friendly and very welcoming,” he said.

“It’s a really good health service, a real asset to the community.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the staff during that transition period.”

He also said he wished the hospital’s departing chief executive, Owen Stephens, “well in his retirement”.

“I would like to acknowledge Mr Owen Stephens, who’s been here for over three decades and has done an absolutely amazing job in terms of his leadership at the Casterton Memorial Hospital,” he said.