SIRA’s new three-year Return to Work Roadmap, released in Marh 2026 is a clear signal to employers across NSW. Return to work outcomes have declined in recent years, particularly for psychological claims, and there is a strong push to shift the focus back to early, active, workplace-based recovery. At its core, the message is simple: […]
Shaun Lane is the founder and Managing Director of RehabCo, established in 1996 in response to the need for innovation and value in workplace rehabilitation services. With more than three decades of experience as an occupational therapist, Shaun has been at the forefront of advancing rehabilitation and health outcomes across New South Wales and beyond.
Under Shaun’s leadership, RehabCo has flourished from a single accredited workplace rehabilitation provider into a network of 13 offices, employing 126 staff and serving communities with a diverse range of health and well-being services. Shaun’s vision saw the integration of Thrive Psychology and Kidskills OT into the RehabCo family, broadening both the scope of services and opportunities for staff.
A recognised figure within the industry, Shaun has held key executive positions including NSW and National President of ARPA, the peak body representing workplace rehabilitation providers across Australia. He is an active contributor to policy and operational initiatives, regularly participating in consultative reference groups for SIRA and icare. Shaun’s commitment to excellence has been recognised with the Outstanding Care and Service by an Individual Award at the 2017 icare CASE Awards and as a finalist in the 2018 CASE Awards for Customer Service, placing RehabCo in the top three TPSPs for Customer Experience in NSW.
Shaun is an accredited mediator with extensive experience in conflict resolution and is renowned for his steadfast values, dedication to rural and regional communities, and passion for driving positive change. Outside of work, Shaun is a lover of sport—often found at the SCG cheering on the Australian Cricket team, his beloved Swans, and the Wallabies, or practicing his sailing skills on Sydney Harbour. His enduring commitment to health, community, and innovation continues to inspire the RehabCo team and the broader industry.
Bronwyn is the Newcastle Branch Manager for RehabCo, bringing over 20 years of expertise in workplace rehabilitation across a range of providers and schemes, including workers’ compensation, life and CTP insurance and Lifetime Care. As a qualified Psychologist, Bronwyn combines clinical, vocational, and counselling skills to help people re-engage in work and reconnect with their communities.
Throughout her career, Bronwyn has taken on key roles such as Rehabilitation Consultant, Group Job Seeking Facilitator, Senior Injury Management Advisor, and Group Case Manager. Renowned for her leadership, Bronwyn has successfully led multidisciplinary teams, inspiring collaboration and excellence in service delivery. She is dedicated to mentoring emerging professionals, fostering a supportive environment that encourages growth and innovation. Her leadership style emphasises open communication, empathy, and strategic thinking, enabling her teams to achieve outstanding outcomes for clients and organisations alike.
Bronwyn’s achievements include the provision of tailored Vocational and Initial Needs Assessments to support workers in identifying new employment opportunities, and the delivery of Vocational, Motivational, and Adjustment to Injury/Disability Counselling to guide clients through challenging life transitions. She is recognised for her exceptional case management and expertise in developing and implementing return to work plans, as well as her ability to coordinate effective retraining programs. Her experience managing workplace rehabilitation for psychological injuries has allowed her to foster holistic recovery and resilience among her clients.
Passionate about lifelong learning, community engagement, and making a meaningful difference in the rehabilitation sector, Bronwyn continues to develop innovative programs such as job search skills training and community engagement initiatives. Outside of work, Bronwyn enjoys spending time walking along the coastline with her daughter and is the proud owner of two beautiful labradors who bring joy and energy to her everyday life.
With a career rooted in service and advocacy, Rachel brings over two decades of experience to her current position as Branch Manager of Griffith. After graduating from Charles Sturt University in 1997, she began her journey in counselling—a foundation that shaped her empathetic approach and leadership style. Her academic pursuit in social work further deepened her understanding of individual and community needs.
Having completed advanced workshops in Pain Management (2016), Motivational Interviewing (2019), and Essentials of CBT (2020), as well as training in Solution-Focused BrTherapy, Rachel has cultivated a versatile skillset. These achievements enable her to effectively support clients dealing with life’s challenges, particularly within the context of regional New South Wales and assisting them to return to work.
Rachel is deeply committed to empowering others through evidence-based counselling, change management, and goal setting. As a leader, she guides a dedicated team, ensuring tailored support for the unique requirements of regional communities. Her passion for health and wellness is at the heart of her work, driving innovative approaches to care and fostering resilience and wellbeing for individuals and families across the region.
Cathy McKnight is an Occupational Therapist with over 25 years of experience in the field of occupational rehabilitation, injury management, conflict resolution, and occupational health and safety. As the current Branch Manager for the Central Coast in Wyong, Cathy plays a vital role in building strong relationships between all stakeholders, ensuring positive outcomes throughout the return to work process.
Throughout her distinguished tenure at RehabCo, Cathy has excelled in a range of roles, including Branch Manager, account manager, mediator, case manager, educator and trainer, supervisor, and consultant. Her extensive expertise encompasses case management, functional capacity evaluation, workplace assessment, psychological case management, as well as the provision of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assessments.
Cathy is highly regarded for her strengths in mediation and conflict resolution, both within workplace environments and in broader contexts. She is adept at delivering Pre Employment Assessments, including drug and alcohol screening, and develops and implements tailored manual handling programs for local organisations. Her experience spans work with both small and large employer groups across Sydney and regional New South Wales, covering the full range of Comcare, CTP, and Workers Compensation legislation.
Deeply committed to capability building, Cathy has a particular interest in supporting the development of students and new consultants entering the workplace rehabilitation sector. Her passion for education and mentorship is evident in her roles as educator, trainer, and supervisor, where she strives to nurture the next generation of professionals.
Outside of her professional life, Cathy finds joy and relaxation in walking on the beach, embracing the natural beauty and tranquility of the coastline. This love of the outdoors reflects her balanced approach to work and life, and her belief in the importance of well-being for herself and those around her.
Kristy is the Manager of the Wollongong Branch at RehabCo, where she leads a dynamic team of health professionals and rehabilitation consultants. With a background in occupational therapy, graduating from the University of Western Sydney in 1998, Kristy brings over two decades of experience to the field of health, wellbeing, and rehabilitation.
Renowned for her expertise in complex psychological case management and catastrophic claim management, Kristy excels in guiding clients and employers through the most challenging recovery journeys. She is a trainer in manual handling, psychological claim management, wellness at work, and ergonomic best practices, reflecting her passion for education and empowerment in the workplace.
During her tenure at RehabCo as Branch Manager, Kristy demonstrated her leadership in case management, customer relations, staff mentoring, and account management for major clients. Since joining RehabCo in 2012, Kristy has played a pivotal role in expanding the Wollongong branch, introducing innovative practices. Kristy’s areas of specialty span pre-employment, workplace, and ADL assessments; ergonomic assessments; and equipment prescription for daily living. She is especially passionate about early intervention strategies, actively educating employers on how to reduce workers’ compensation premiums through proactive, evidence-based approaches.
Outside the office, Kristy’s energy is equally impressive. A devoted Sydney Swans supporter, she cherishes time spent playing sport with her kids and enthusiastically embraces the life of a “sports mum,” running them around to their various sporting commitments. Kristy’s commitment to wellbeing, both at work and at home, shines through in everything she does.
Trudi Thomson is an accomplished Occupational Therapist and accredited Mediator with nearly 30 years of experience in workplace rehabilitation. Over her 25-year tenure at RehabCo, Trudi has held a range of pivotal leadership roles including Rehabilitation Consultant, Branch Manager, Client Relationship Manager, and General Manager/Executive Lead in Workers Insurance.
Renowned for her strategic thinking and people-first approach, Trudi consistently builds strong client relationships, drives exceptional return-to-work outcomes, and exceeds key performance indicators. Her leadership style is grounded in mentoring and empowering teams, and she is deeply committed to delivering high-quality service to customer partners.
Trudi’s career reflects her versatility, dedication to excellence, and genuine care for both her colleagues and the individuals she supports. Her unwavering drive continues to make a positive impact in the field of workplace rehabilitation.
Outside of work, Trudi is always on the move. She enjoys horse riding, walking her dog, spending time at the beach, snow skiing, and playing water polo. A fun fact: Trudi is the President of the Dolphins Water Polo Club in Wagga Wagga. She is always recruiting new players (can you swim?).
Philippa joined RehabCo as the Wagga Wagga Branch Manager in 2021, bringing a robust background in project management, service development, and specialist skills in providing workplace rehabilitation to people with severe injury.
Philippa’s daily focus is on overseeing branch operations, stakeholder relationships, personnel management, as well as managing a caseload of local RTW cases.
Philippa has a passion for program evaluation and also gains great satisfaction from seeing the development in skills, confidence and professional maturity as our new graduates step through their careers, one case at a time.
Jerone is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, and he has been working for 7yrs with RehabCo.
He successfully achieved transition from previous highly focused academic, research and sports performance career into a wider community focused rehabilitation support role.
Jerone genuinely enjoys helping people recover from injury, and deal with challenging situations in order to participate in life.
He is a lover of many sports and still playing multiple sports despite his age and lack of ability, but only when he finds a team that will take him.
Akanyang has been with RehabCo for over 5 years.
She loves hosting Occupational Therapy students for placement in workplace rehabilitation—a field rarely covered in OT courses—which then helped launch their careers in this area.
Additionally, Akanyang was selected by ARPA as a finalist for outstanding achievement in return to work (physical claim).
She loves how our interventions can positively impact our clients’ recovery, reduce the risks of further injuries and overall help them to regain autonomy, empowerment, and a sense of self-worth.
She once participated in a charity walk with Y Care Charitable trust in Botswana: this involved walking 150kms over 3 days.
Nathan Has been with our organisation since April 2021.
He’s an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, having worked in the occupational rehabilitation industry since 2012; including roles as a rehabilitation consultant (periods of time specialising in services delivered to the corporate, government, and SME clients), a team leader, Customer Services Leader (key relationship manager for insurers and claims service providers in both Workers’ Insurance and CTP), and currently as the branch manager for our Sydney and Canberra teams.
Nathan is passionate about helping injured people recover from injuries and resume their work duties and activities of normal living. He understands That the teams’ reach is far greater than his alone, so he works towards this passion in his current role by leading his team members’ professional growth and development on their professional consulting journeys.
Away from work, Nathan lives a typically metropolitan dad life spending most of his free time at playgrounds, ice-cream parlours, cafes, and doing as he is told by his two pre and primary school aged kids.
Jenny has been the Branch Manager of Albury since October 2023, and has been an occupational therapist since the “1990’s” as the kids say.
Jenny was nominated for Excellence in Injury & Disability Management (Return to Work / Community) in PIEF 2025 Industry awards.
Jenny is passionate about attracting more OTs into the industry, especially those who are early into their careers.
Jenny loves the variety of people you come across and supporting people through some of the hardest times of their lives, making lives better of whomever we work with, building local connections here we live with employers, treaters and GPs.
She has supported her beloved GWS Giants since their inaugural season and loves a beach holiday.
Shannon brings over two decades of experience in health, management, and leadership to drive service excellence and strategic growth. She has worked with RehabCo since 2008.
Shannon has led the expansion of our allied health services across multiple brands, strengthened compliance and quality frameworks, and built a coaching culture that empowers our team to deliver on our purpose of Making Lives Better.
She is driven by the opportunity to create lasting, positive change in people’s lives and take pride in building services that genuinely support the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Outside of work, Shannon loves baking sweet treats, soaking up the sunshine, and chasing her children around the countryside for all kinds of sports.
Candice has been with the organisation in this role since October 2024 however fun fact – She worked here back in 2002-2006 as an Administrator and then Office Manager.
The company was much smaller then and we have basically tripled our footprint and greatly expanded our service offerings beyond workplace rehabilitation since.
Her career has been mostly in projects, as a business analyst and change manager, focusing on business process improvement, data analysis, reporting, and software implementation. Candice loves that it’s a fun profession that means you are always working on new things, you don’t have a ‘business as usual’ day and you get to help with transformations and have a key role in organisational change achievements.
Candice has worked across a lot of industries (workplace rehabilitation, mining, employment services, higher education, school system, water utility, consulting) and each brings its own purpose, language and lore, which makes each fascinating to her.
James has an OT background and has been with RehabCo for over 8 years.
When he joined RehabCo his focus was on business growth – both geographic expansion and market diversification. We successfully set-up 4 additional offices and all now operate independently with their own Branch Manager.
Now in his 24th year in the industry, James still really enjoys working with our customers and staff, finding solutions to make lives better!
James is of mixed heritage with an Australian mum and father who was Chinese. His favourite leisure pursuit is fishing!
Coryn is an Exercise Physiologist with nearly eight years of experience at RehabCo and currently serves as the Branch Manager for the Coffs Harbour office.
She was the first staff member of our Coffs Harbour office when it opened and have been part of its growth to becoming a trusted source of knowledge and support on the north coast.
While working at RehabCo, she has assisted more than 180 individuals during their recovery. Coryn also values teaching and supporting our staff by sharing her knowledge and experience to help make more lives better.
Outside work, Coryn volunteers at the local football club and spend time with her family at games or exploring scenic north coast spots in their caravan.
With 29 years of expertise spanning Workplace Rehabilitation, Disability, and Workplace Health, Olivia brings unparalleled depth and warmth to her role as Executive Lead, People Culture and Wellbeing at RehabCo, where she has held leadership positions for over 24 years.
A qualified Occupational Therapist, Mediator and experienced Executive Leader, Olivia is celebrated for her vibrant energy, strategic vision, and commitment to nurturing professional growth.
Olivia is deeply passionate about building workforce capability in leadership and guiding health professionals towards best practice—particularly by fostering supportive environments for those at the start of their careers. Her philosophy centres on ensuring that every team member leaves work each day with a heightened sense of achievement, meaning, and connection to purpose.
Outside of work, Olivia finds joy exploring scenic trails throughout Southern NSW and North East Victoria, knitting cosy scarves and sweaters, and indulging in nostalgic Ally McBeal re-runs.