"Every child deserves access to the best possible care — no matter where, no matter what. When we come together, we turn compassion into cures, generosity into life-changing care, and we change the future for sick kids.”

Kristina Keneally is a respected leader with a career spanning public service, sport, media, academia, and the not-for-profit sector. As CEO of Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF), she brings her passion for equity, inclusion, and community to the Foundation’s mission to change the future for sick kids.

Kristina’s career has been defined by service and leadership. She is a former Premier of New South Wales and has served as an Australian Senator, holding senior front-bench portfolios including Home Affairs, Immigration, Planning, Disability Services, and Ageing. She began her professional life in the not-for-profit sector as the NSW Youth Coordinator for the Society of St Vincent de Paul.

Beyond politics, Kristina has led national sporting bodies as CEO of Basketball Australia, advanced gender equity as Director of Gender Inclusion and Adjunct Professor at Macquarie Graduate School of Management, and anchored several shows on Sky News Australia, including being part of the Sky News team that won a Walkley Award for its live coverage of the 2016 federal election campaign.

Her dedication to community has extended into boardrooms and advocacy. She has served as Chair of Souths Cares, Board Member of the United States Studies Centre, and Ambassador for Opportunity International Australia. Appointed by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the Referendum Council, Kristina played a role in shaping the recommendations behind the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the call for a First Nations Voice to Parliament.

Kristina is married and the mother of two grown sons and a daughter, Caroline, who was stillborn. Kristina was the Patron of Stillbirth Foundation Australia for many years and is well-known for her advocacy to reduce stillbirth in Australia.

Kristina brings to SCHF not only a wealth of leadership experience but also an unwavering belief that every child deserves the best start in life.