Health executive and entrepreneur Tess van der Rijt has built a career focused on improving how healthcare systems serve patients. She lived at John XXIII College in 2006 and 2007 while studying a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at the Australian National University. Her time at Johns was energising and formative, surrounded by ambitious peers and a culture that balanced academic focus with a strong sense of community and friendship.

Tess’s career has spanned global health policy, healthcare innovation and hospital leadership. Early roles included working with the World Health Organization in Geneva, contributing to health policy development in Singapore, advising an Australian Federal Senator, and consulting in health and human services in Sydney. She later founded Patient Connector, a health technology company designed to help patients more easily find and access specialist doctors. Following its acquisition by Medinet, she became Chief Executive Officer, leading the development of a virtual healthcare platform supporting primary care, which was later acquired by Medibank in 2025. She has since held senior leadership roles across St Vincent’s Health Australia’s private hospital network and now serves as Chief Operating Officer of UnitingCare Hospitals in Queensland.

Alongside her executive career, Tess contributes to healthcare governance as a Board member of Tonic Media Network and the Wesley Research Institute. With a Master’s in Health Leadership and Management and as a graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course, she remains driven by the challenge of tackling complex healthcare problems and delivering better outcomes for patients and communities.