Q&A With MDNSW CEO, Jess Henry

At MDNSW, we love sharing the stories and voices of the people who make our community what it is. In this staff spotlight, we sat down with our CEO Jess Henry to hear more about her journey, passions and what inspires her work.

You’ve been with Muscular Dystrophy NSW for more than two years now, first as General Manager, then COO and now as CEO. Can you tell us a little bit about how your career journey led you here?

Don’t tell anyone, but I’m an ex-banker of 30 years!

Jokes aside, banking gave me such wonderful all-round exposure to front and back-office operations, ownership of big budgets, and leadership of large teams across many different cultures. When I left banking 10 years ago, I felt it was time for me to do something completely different and use my skills, knowledge, and experience in the NFP/ for-purpose sector to contribute more to the community. I cut my NFP teeth at the fabulous Children’s Cancer Institute through to 2022. In 2023 I was offered a short-term opportunity to support MDNSW and here I am! I’m grateful for the opportunities that have come my way and continue to learn every day.

You’ve seen so much of the work we do and the lives we impact. What do you think makes MDNSW such a special community to be part of?

People “get” each other and are always willing to jump in to share their experiences and support others. A small but very mighty community!

How do you stay connected with the people we’re here to support?

I learn so much from attending our community events, camps, and retreats. Being at these events and programs helps me to better understand the needs of our community and remind me of why we (Team MDNSW!) do what we do.

If you had to describe our community in three words, what would they be?

Passionate

Connected

Generous

What’s the best part of your workday? What keeps you motivated?

We hold a monthly All-Staff meeting during which we review past and upcoming activities, and check-in on our progress as a team. We always include a “Mission Moment” at the end of the meeting in which we highlight something fabulous we’ve heard about or seen within our community. During our September All-Staff, we discovered that a young person who has been a part of camp programs for many years has recently turned 18 and started his first job. Just awesome!

Stories such as this and seeing the passion and commitment of our wonderful Team at MDNSW are huge motivators for me.

Is there a particular story or moment from your time here that really stands out to you?

Summer Camp 2023!

It was my maiden MDNSW camp experience and my first real opportunity to get to know people in our community. I started the week feeling very nervous and a little overwhelmed. By the end of it I was exhausted! It was a “good” exhausted though! I learned so much from the campers, their parents, our awesome volunteer carers & nurses, and our very dedicated staff camp crew.  I continue to learn at every camp, retreat, and event I attend. I love and appreciate being out and about with our community. Next stop Community Day 2025!

Tell us a bit about you away from work.

I’m a cricket tragic! I’ve been playing for a very long time and volunteer on many cricket boards and committees. White-line fever still kicks in when I take the field and for a few hours nothing else matters.

Heads-up – I’ll be away in November playing some cricket in Perth!

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