CLASSROOM TO BOARDROOM: How the Nuns Inspired New Zealand's Best-Known Female CEO

Dame Theresa Gattung DNZM

During her days in Catholic schools in Rotorua, a young Theresa Gattung saw the local religious sisters running the place. She saw no reason why girls like her couldn’t do the same. While at business school, Theresa set the goal of running a large company by the age of 40. She beat that by three years when she was appointed CEO of Telecom at 37, becoming New Zealand’s first female CEO of an NZX-listed company. She has served on the board, including as chair, of large companies in New Zealand and abroad, and in the charity sector. Philanthropy, another passion her Catholic upbringing inspired, is also a major part of Dame Theresa’s life. She will share stories from those various aspects of her life at our Catholic Business Network lunch on September 3 at Te Pae Convention Centre.