Our Leadership Group

Paul Shehade
Managing Director

Paul, founder, and Managing Director of Pearl Home Care is a highly knowledgeable professional with a wealth of business experience in various industries. Paul has purposed his keen interest in providing high quality, responsive and client focused services to ageing adults and people with disabilities around Australia by establishing a unique, national franchise network.

Paul has developed a range of quality systems, quantifiable financial and operational metrics and has established franchisee support networks to build a strong team culture and public brand. Paul works to support franchise owners in developing and delivering the necessary systems and processes required to enable future growth of the franchise network.

Penny Fielding
Chief Operating Officer

EMPA, MPH, GAICD

Penny has over 25 years of senior executive experience in various areas of health and community services, including public health, primary health care, aged care, and disability services. She holds an Executive Master of Public Administration and a Masters in Primary Health Care. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course. Penny was previously the Deputy Chief Executive of the Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services. As part of this role, and other leadership roles in the NT, she was responsible for policy reform in hospital pricing, disability, and aged care. She has held seats on a number of national Boards and Ministerial forums across aged care, community care and child protection.

Since returning to her home state of Western Australian, Penny undertook the role of Executive Director of Business and Performance at North Metropolitan Health Service. She was responsible for Workforce (including HR, IR and Staff Development), Financial Management, Audit and Risk. She was also responsible for Clinical Planning, System Performance and Business Intelligence in the largest health service provider in WA.

In 2020, Penny returned to her passion of working in the aged care sector and took on a senior leadership role at a national privately owned residential and home care business. In this role she was responsible for transition of care and HR arrangements for home and residential services that were acquired and the recommissioning of a newly built 160 residential aged care service.

Penny has a proven track record of leading and implementing strategic and operational reform and facilitating stakeholder engagement and collaboration across diverse sectors and levels of government. She is passionate about improving the quality and sustainability of health and aged care services, and advancing the environmental, social, and governance agenda to promote improved client outcomes.

Penny has been active on a number of Boards and is currently a Board member on the Breast Cancer Care Board.

Ken Crawford
Chief Financial Officer

M Agri Sc (Hons), DipAgrSci, DipRuralStudies, DipFinServ (Finance/Mortgage Broking Management)

Ken initially joined Pearl Home Care in 2022. Ken is an accountant who has worked in financial services for more than 30 years, and provides the financial acuity within Pearl Home Care as CFO.

Prior to his joining Pearl Home Care, Ken ran his family farming interests. This gave him an appreciation of managing a complex family business, and the importance of good financial data in financial management.

Ken’s diverse career background includes being a University Lecturer, and a range of hands-on roles that built on his agriculture expertise.

Prior to his role as CFO at Pearl Home Care, Ken was an award-winning Finance & Mortgage Broker, with over 21 years’ experience within the field. Ken held the roles of Principal and Director, leading a team of professionals in the industry.

Hodo Shire
Head of Care

BSc (Nurs), PGDipHlthMgt,
GradCert IPC Lead

Hodo is a Registered Nurse with 14 years of experience in the hospital and aged care sectors. Hodo holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Healthcare Management, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Infection Prevention and Control Leadership, further strengthening her quality and compliance skills. For the past 10 years, she gained extensive knowledge and expertise working in the aged care sector as a Clinical Nurse Manager, Facility Manager, and General Manager.

Throughout her career, she has led multiple Commission audits across various facilities, successfully addressing unmet standards by providing education and support to teams. Hodo is committed to making compliance a seamless part of our organisational culture, ensuring we deliver the highest quality of care.

Marisa Chan

Head of Operations

BSc BVMS (Hons), MSTCVM

Marisa first joined Pearl Home Care in 2022 as the Secretary of the Quality Care Advisory Body, progressing to Executive & Project Assistant, and later, Head of Operations in April 2025, where she oversees the effective and efficient operational management of Pearl Home Care.

Before joining Pearl Home Care, Marisa graduated from Murdoch University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery with Honours. After completing internships in Veterinary Oncology and Internal Medicine, she pursued her post-graduate certification in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) with the Chi University, Florida USA, finishing up with a Masters in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in 2018. Between 2010 and 2013, Marisa was involved with teaching TCVM locally and internationally. She continues to practice integrative small animal medicine with the goal of integrating the practice of conventional and natural or traditional medicines to best advance pet wellness and quality of life.

Ingrid Wallace

Head of Business Development

DipMgt, JP, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s Auditor Training in Requirements of the NDIS (Approved Quality Auditors Scheme) Guidelines 2018, ISO 9001:2015 Internal/Lead Auditor

Ingrid is responsible for Pearl Home Care’s strategic initiatives relating to business development and growth, as well as providing quality and compliance support to our franchises.

Ingrid has held a variety of roles in the Community Services sector for the past eighteen years. These roles have included Support Worker, Service Coordinator, Executive Assistant to the CEO, Quality and Customer Service Manager and most recently as a Consultant on NDIS service provision, supporting providers to either gain or maintain NDIS Certification and as an Approved Quality Auditor with the NDIS Commission. 

During her time in Community Services, she has worked in programs around Child Protection, Mental Health, and the Disability Sector which has given her a comprehensive understanding of some of the challenges and obstacles faced by providers.

Julie Fereday

Head of Education & Training

BSc (Nurs), Bsc (Health Promotion), MSc (Public Health & Tropical Medicine), CertIVTraing&Assess, Assessor Trainer Certificate – My Aged Care

Julie commenced her career as Registered Nurse, later working in a leadership role in Aboriginal Community Controlled sector. Her career saw her transition into the development of training programs for Aboriginal Health Workers and Enrolled Nurses.  Later, Julie relocated to the Tertiary Education sector holding Director and Executive Director roles across the health and community services sector for Western Australia’s largest TAFE. 

More recently, Julie returned to the aged care industry working at a large aged care and disability services provider in Western Australia to build a clinical governance and education framework. 

Julie brings a skill set that is recognised for building innovative education programs and development of career pathways. A key achievement of this is the building of partnerships and engagement with leaders in the tertiary education sector to address strategic issues, and to support the development and building of valuable clinical placements in the aged care sector to attract future workers. 

Maddy Shehade

Project Manager

LLB, BCom (HRM), GDLP

Maddy joined Pearl Home Care as Project Manager in January 2025. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree, a Bachelor of Commerce degree (majoring in Human Resource Management), and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. She was admitted to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in October 2022.

Prior to joining Pearl Home Care, Maddy worked as a lawyer in a specialist Family Law firm in Perth. Her experience working in this area brings a strong person-centred approach while maintaining a legislative focus in the evolving aged care industry.