Speaker, Leader and Rural Advocate.
Susanne (Susi) Tegen is a visionary leader and passionate advocate with a multidisciplinary career spanning healthcare, education, economic development, and rural sustainability.
A Visionary Leader
About Susi
Susi Tegen is a visionary leader and passionate advocate with a multidisciplinary career spanning healthcare, education, economic development, agribusiness, and rural sustainability. A Telstra Business Award and Business Innovation Award winner, Susi’s ability to work across industries has positioned her as a powerful force for change. She has played a pivotal role in driving policy reforms, expanding telehealth access, and improving workforce sustainability in rural and Indigenous communities.
Her expertise is fueled by a deep commitment to bridging the urban-rural divide and ensuring access to healthcare, training, and essential services in rural, remote and regional communities. Susi’s ethos centres around a thriving economy giving back to society, advocating for equity, and challenging decision-makers to rethink outdated systems. Her contributions extend beyond her professional roles, with a strong focus on mentoring, cultural safety, and lifting minority voices.
Susi works with several organisations including:
"As someone who has grown up and lived rurally all my life, I understand the deep divide between urban and rural investment. For too long, rural and Indigenous communities have been afterthoughts in policy and financing conversations. I’m committed to turning that narrative around."
Driving Change
Leader
Susi is a proven leader with a track record of driving change in healthcare, rural economic development, and policy reform. As the former Chief Executive of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, Medical Technology Association of Australia, Free Eyre Agribusiness and the Limestone Coast Division of GP, she has successfully led major initiatives, including expanding Growing Grain Association, telehealth access and developing a sustainable rural workforce. Her leadership is defined by her ability to see cross-industry opportunities, creating innovative solutions that benefit communities and industry.
Susi’s expertise as a mentor and advisor extends beyond her roles, as she advocates for rural accessibility, cultural safety, and equitable healthcare. Through speaking engagements and mentorship, Susi shares her insights on effective leadership, challenging others to take bold actions that create lasting impact in underserved areas. She’s not just a leader; she’s a force for positive change, driving discussions that spark innovation and progress.
Inspiring Conversations
Speaker
Susi Tegen is a captivating and insightful speaker, renowned for driving meaningful conversations on critical issues facing rural Australia. With decades of leadership experience across health, education, agriculture and economic development, she brings real-world expertise to the stage, challenging audiences to rethink their perspectives and explore innovative solutions. Susi’s talks are dynamic and thought-provoking, addressing topics like healthcare access, rural workforce sustainability, and the disconnect between urban and rural needs, in a setting of rural communities massive economic output. Known for her ability to ask tough questions and ignite debate, she leaves a lasting impact, inspiring audiences with her strategic thinking, passionate advocacy, and commitment to bridging the urban-rural divide.
Bridging Communities
Rural Advocate
As a tireless advocate and campaigner for rural, regional, and remote communities, Susi works to bridge the gap between urban centres and the economic powerhouses of rural Australia. With deep roots in rural South Australia, Susi has dedicated her career to improving access to healthcare, education, and workforce development for underserved populations. Her advocacy extends to highlighting the immense contributions rural areas make to the national economy, particularly in primary industries like mining and agriculture, and the critical need for government and industry to invest in these regions.
Susi has led major policy reforms in telehealth and Medicare, advocating for the sustainability of rural medical workforces and cultural safety for Indigenous communities. Her unwavering dedication to equity and access makes her a powerful voice for rural Australia.
Susi in the Media
Tegen’s vision for rural pharmacy
PHARMACISTS working in rural and regional areas continue to face unique challenges their city-based counterparts do not, and may not even be aware of.
In an interview with Pharmacy Daily, National Rural Health Alliance CEO Susi Tegen (pictured) said pharmacists are relied upon heavily, but were under-supported andundervalued by those who do not live and work in rural and regional Australia, yet are highly utilised by communities and by other clinicians.
Welcome funding to care for the rural ageing population
The Federal Government’s announcement of a $900 million investment to enhance aged care services in rural and remote areas is a vital step towards ensuring that older Australians, regardless of their postcode, can access the high-quality, safe aged care they deserve.
Australians asked to exercise their right to petition for a healthier rural Australia
Australians from across the country are being asked to exercise their right to sign a petition to the Federal Government to ensure a healthier rural Australia, by the National Rural Health Alliance.
