Theresa Gattung facts for kids
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Dame Theresa Elizabeth Gattung DNZM (born in 1962) is a well-known New Zealand business leader. She was the chief executive of Telecom New Zealand from 1999 to 2007. This made her the first woman to lead a major public company in New Zealand.
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Early Life and Education
Theresa Gattung was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1962. She was the oldest of four sisters. She went to McKillop College in Rotorua. Later, she studied at the University of Waikato, where she earned a degree in marketing. She also studied law at Victoria University of Wellington.
Her Career Journey
Theresa Gattung started her career in marketing. She worked in important marketing jobs at companies like National Mutual and the Bank of New Zealand. She then joined Telecom New Zealand, a big telecommunications company.
Leading Telecom New Zealand
In 1999, Theresa Gattung became the CEO of Telecom New Zealand. This was a huge role, as the company made billions of dollars. It operated in both New Zealand and Australia. During her time as CEO, she helped Telecom grow and change. Technology was developing very fast, and she guided the company to become a top IT provider in New Zealand. She left her role at Telecom in 2007.
Other Business Ventures
After Telecom, Theresa Gattung continued to lead in business. From 2008 to 2011, she was the first chairperson of Wool Partners International. She used her skills to help promote New Zealand wool around the world.
She also has a love for books. She chaired the New Zealand Advisory Group for the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2012.
In 2013, Theresa Gattung helped start a food delivery company called My Food Bag. She co-founded it with Cecilia Robinson and Nadia Lim. This company grew very quickly in New Zealand. She also chaired AIA Australia, an insurance company, from 2010 to 2021. In 2018, she became the chairperson for AIA New Zealand's board.
Today, she chairs Tend, a digital healthcare company launched in 2020. She also leads Telco Technology Services, which provides online education. She is part of Global Women and advises on women's employment.
Supporting Women and Community
Theresa Gattung is very active in helping others. In 2021, she funded a special program at the University of Auckland. It is called the Theresa Gattung Chair of Women in Entrepreneurship. This program helps women who want to start their own businesses. She also started the Gattung Foundation with her sister Angela.
She has supported many non-profit groups. She co-founded the World Women Charitable Trust. She has also been involved with the Eva Doucas Charitable Trust and the Cambodia Charitable Trust. She chaired the Wellington Board of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Later, she joined the national board when all the regional SPCAs joined together.
She is the New Zealand leader for SheEO. This group helps support and fund women innovators. In 2019, the Arts Foundation of New Zealand created the Theresa Gattung Female Arts Practitioners Award. This award gives $25,000 to talented women in the arts.
In 2010, Theresa Gattung wrote her autobiography, which is a book about her own life, called Bird on a Wire.
Awards and Special Recognition
Theresa Gattung has received many awards for her work.
- In 2015, she was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This was for her services to business and her charity work.
- She was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Fame in 2015.
- In 2017, she received a Lifetime Achievement award at the NEXT Woman of the Year awards.
- She received another Lifetime Achievement award at the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards in 2018.
- In 2019, she was inducted into the RNZSPCA Hall of Fame for her work with animals.
- In 2023, she was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.
- In 2024, she was promoted to Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This was for her services to women, leadership, and charity.
Fortune magazine has named her one of the 50 most powerful women in international business several times. In 2006, Forbes magazine listed her as number 49 on their list of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women".
