About Susanne (Susi) Tegen

Main Location: Adelaide, SA and often on the road

Susi Tegen came to Australia from her native Austria as a teenager and as an immigrant and carer, she understands the confusion that arises for patients in a new country and a complex medical system.

Susi has lived and worked in, as well as advocated for, rural Australia for most of her working life, while living in rural SA, NT, NSW and Victoria. Until recently, she was a partner of a sheep meat and wool, cattle trading and grain property in the Limestone Coast for 30 years. Her passion is in farm safety, mental health services, remote monitoring and telehealth to support medical and health service access to rural and remote communities. She recognises the value in rural medical training and placements as well as government and private approaches to serving communities sustainably.

She is currently a Member Community Observers Working Committee (COWC); National Health and Medical Research Council Independent External Committee member; International Medical Graduate training committee, and IMG interview panel member; Royal Australian College of Surgeons Federal Training Council member and interview panel; Orthopaedic Association of Australia She is the Hon. Austrian Consul for SA NT.

Susi has held roles including: Chief Executive / Company Secretary Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA); Chief Executive / Company Secretary, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO); Managing Director, FREE Eyre Ltd (Primary Industry, grain trading, innovation); Chief Executive/ Company Secretary, Limestone Coast Division of General Practice (LCDGP); as well as working in the education and vocational education sector with rural industries.

Consultancies include working with PHN’s, Cancer Council, The Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, Executive Women facilitation and mentoring, TAFE, Klett Verlag and Goethe Institut (Germany).

In the past she has held the positions of:

• Board Director, APACMed MedTech (AsiaPac – Singapore)
• Board Director of Australian Grain Growers, Deputy Chair, Global Medical Technology Association,
• Board Director and Finance, audit, risk, nominations committees, Accreditation committee, Health First South Australia
• Deputy Chair, nominations and remuneration, and accreditation committees, Sight for All International Medical Development agency working in the Asia Pacific
• Led Ophthalmology Workforce planning committee with Health Workforce Australia
• Member, Ministerial Advisory MBS Reform committee
• Member, Ministerial Advisory MBS TeleMed committee
• Board Director and Finance, audit and risk, Australian Rural Leadership Foundation
• Board Director, Ministerial Appointment, SA Sheep Industry Development Board
• Deputy Chair, FarmSafe
• Deputy Chair, FarmBis SA
• Member, Ministerial Advisory, SA Department of Primary Industries
• Member, SA Farmer’s Federation policy committee - health, education, rural medical workforce, telecommunications, transport, infrastructure and electricity
• Member, Rural Health Ministerial Advisory SA
• In her spare time, she enjoys travelling, history, appreciating great wine and food from different countries around the world and being challenged by people’s ideas and views