New appointments at The Parenthood

Wendy McCarthy AO has accepted the role of Chair and our CEO Georgie Dent is taking a 6 month sabbatical in Canada. The board has appointed non-executive director, lawyer, writer and business leader, Jessica Rudd, as CEO.

The board of The Parenthood has announced that its Patron Wendy McCarthy AO has accepted the role of Chair and its CEO Georgie Dent is taking a 6 month sabbatical in Canada. The board has appointed non-executive director, lawyer, writer and business leader, Jessica Rudd, as CEO for six months from July 2023.

“We are delighted to have appointed Jessica Rudd to continue to advance The Parenthood’s effective and impactful advocacy at this critical point in time,” Patron and Chair, Wendy McCarthy AO, said. “Jessica’s skills and professional experience in law, communications, media and business make her eminently qualified to lead and thrive in this role.”

“As an organisation we are thrilled to enable Georgie Dent to take a well-earned sabbatical relocating with her family to Canada,” Ms McCarthy said. “As an organisation committed to ensuring parents are supported to combine their caring responsibilities with work and family life, the board’s decision to appoint a CEO in Georgie’s absence was simple. We approached this temporary change in Georgie’s family situation in the same way we would if an employee was taking parental leave: with flexibility and accommodation.”

“Jessica Rudd’s appointment will ensure The Parenthood’s highly effective and impactful advocacy continues.”

Having begun her career as a media and IP lawyer, Jessica Rudd has worked in business, politics, communications and media. She is an accomplished public speaker and media performer who has contributed to newspapers, magazines, television and radio programs and has written novels for publication. 

In 2015 Jessica founded Jessica’s Suitcase, an e-commerce business, which she grew and sold in 2018.

Jessica now lives in Brisbane with her two children and works as a non-executive director for the Australian Agricultural Company, Griffith University and is the co-chair of the National Apology Foundation.

“This is the most important work I’ll ever do,” Ms Rudd said. “As a NED or in an executive capacity, there is no greater contribution I could make to the future prosperity of this country than to help secure high quality universal early childhood education and care for children. There is not a child, family, community or business that won’t benefit from Australia pursuing the policies The Parenthood champions.

“My children and I are the happy beneficiaries of The Parenthood’s advocacy, which has been in action since my eldest was in nappies. I’m thrilled to pick up the megaphone for Georgie while she’s away spending some hard-earned time with her own family.”