Thérèse Rein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thérèse Rein
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Rein in 2011
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| Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia | |
| In role 27 June 2013 – 18 September 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Tim Mathieson |
| Succeeded by | Margie Abbott |
| In role 3 December 2007 – 24 June 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Janette Howard |
| Succeeded by | Tim Mathieson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 July 1958 Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Spouse | Kevin Rudd (m. 1981) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Australian National University |
| Occupation | Social entrepreneur, Rehabilitation counsellor |
Thérèse Virginia Rein (born 17 July 1958) is an Australian businesswoman. She started a company called Ingeus. This company helps people find jobs and offers support for their well-being.
Thérèse Rein is married to Kevin Rudd, who was the Prime Minister of Australia twice. He was Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2013. She was the first wife of an Australian Prime Minister to keep working in her paid job while her husband was in office.
In December 2010, she received the Human Rights Medal. This award was given to her by the Australian Human Rights Commission. It recognized her long-term work for human rights, especially for people with disabilities.
She has also received special university degrees. In 2012, Griffith University gave her an Honorary Doctor degree for her business work. In 2014, the University of Western Sydney gave her a Doctor of Letters degree. This was for her service to the Australian community and her work for human rights. In 2018, she was honored by being added to the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.
Her Early Life
Thérèse Rein was born on 17 July 1958 in Adelaide, South Australia. Her father, John Rein, was a navigator in the Royal Australian Air Force. He had a serious spinal cord injury from a plane crash. Despite this, he became an aeronautical engineer. He also represented Australia in sports for people with disabilities. He won gold medals in archery at the 1962 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games. His achievements were a big inspiration for Thérèse. Her father met her mother, Elizabeth, at a hospital where she worked as a head physiotherapist.
Thérèse went to girls' schools in Adelaide and Melbourne. She studied psychology, languages, and English at the Australian National University in Canberra. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 1980. She also received a Master of Psychology degree in 1981.
While at university, she met Kevin Rudd. They both lived in the same college during their first year. They got married in 1981, soon after finishing their studies. They then moved overseas for Kevin Rudd's diplomatic training in Sweden and China. In 1986, they returned to Australia. Thérèse then started her company, Work Directions, which is now called Ingeus. They have three children: Jessica, Nicholas, and Marcus.
Her Work and Business
In 1986, Thérèse Rein worked part-time as a rehabilitation counsellor. This job involved helping people who had been injured at work find new jobs. In 1988, she started her own company, Thérèse Rein and Associates. This company later became Ingeus.
Ingeus is an international company that helps people find jobs. It especially focuses on helping people who have been unemployed for a long time get back into work.
In May 2007, Thérèse sold the Australian part of Ingeus. This was done to make sure there was no appearance of a conflict of interest. At that time, her husband, Kevin Rudd, was the Leader of the Opposition. He later became the Prime Minister of Australia. The Australian businesses were fully sold by December 2007.
Ingeus returned to the Australian market in October 2011. This happened when the company bought another business called Assure Programs.
In 2011, Ingeus UK was given a contract by the UK Government. This contract was part of a program to help people find jobs.
Helping Others: Her Charity Work
Thérèse Rein is very involved in charity work. She supports many different organizations. She is a patron for groups like the Australian Common Ground Alliance. She also supports UNICEF's work on maternal and infant health. Other charities she helps include the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and OzHarvest, which rescues food.
She also supports Ability First Australia and Arts Project Australia. She helps "The Bella Program" at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. She is also involved with the ACT Junior Talent Squad for Athletes with a Disability. Thérèse is a member of the Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee.
