Thérèse Rein
She built a global employment services empire from scratch, championing workforce participation long before entering the political spotlight.
Born 1958 (age 68)·Australian entrepreneur·Birthday: July 17·Baby Boomers
Biography
Thérèse Rein's story is one of entrepreneurial grit far removed from the world of politics where she is often recognized. In 1989, with a background in rehabilitation counseling, she founded Ingeus in a spare bedroom in Canberra. Her vision was to help people with injuries or disadvantages find meaningful work, applying psychology to employment services. She grew the company methodically, expanding first across Australia and then internationally, ultimately operating in over a dozen countries. Her success made her one of Australia's wealthiest self-made women. While her marriage to former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd brought her public attention, her own legacy is that of a pragmatic business leader who believed in the transformative power of a job.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Thérèse was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Thérèse Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Thérèse's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded Ingeus, which grew to employ thousands and secure major government welfare-to-work contracts in the UK, France, and Australia.
- Sold a majority stake in Ingeus to the global human resources firm Adecco in a deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community through employment participation initiatives.
Did You Know?
She is fluent in French and has a degree in psychology and French from the Australian National University.
To avoid conflicts of interest when her husband became Prime Minister, she placed her Australian business holdings in a blind trust and later sold them.
She is a trained pianist.
“A job is more than a wage; it is a connection to community and a sense of worth.”
