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The September everywomanClub event took place last night at the Bulgari hotel. We were thrilled to be joined by Theresa Gattung, as our speaker for the evening. Named in Fortune magazine’s list of the 50 most powerful women in international business she was the first woman CEO of a publicly listed company in New Zealand, leading a $5 billion turnover in the telecommunications industry.
Theresa gave us a fantastic overview of her meteoric rise to success and shared with us some personal insight into how she has managed this. The daughter of British parents, living in New Zealand, Theresa grew up with a strong ethic of hard work - the idea that no matter how talented you might be, nobody can achieve success without hard work. She knew this early on, and her sheer determination was also apparent at the age of just 17, pledging to herself that she would be CEO by the age of 40.
She also shared with us on a personal level her methods for coping with the stresses and demands of life in a highly visible and high profile role, stressing the importance of “taking care of yourself first” – she makes time every day to exercise daily before the stresses of the day begin. Having a mentor is also something that she feels strongly about – her mentor has encouraged her to see the bigger picture and to benefit from someone else’s experience, which she places great importance on.
One of the strongest messages that Theresa gave was that you simply cannot plan everything and that sometimes the unplanned can lead to surprising results. Finding herself and her car perched on a ledge following a car accident, she was rescued by non other than the outgoing Head of Marketing for New Zealand Telecom! This ultimately led to her gaining the role, and in 1999 realising her dream of becoming CEO.
To close the presentations, Karen and Max updated us on recent Club activity, from the Navigator project, which has now been downloaded over 1000 times, to the Modern Muse - including everywoman and Club member participation in the everygirl conference. The networking drinks following Theresa’s presentation gave a perfect opportunity for members and guests to meet and discuss key issues in a relaxed and stunning setting at the Bulgari.
A year on from it’s inception, the everywomanClub is delivering exactly what we had intended and it was wonderful to see so many members engaged and focused on the goal of challenging and changing mindsets and influencing change for women in business. Theresa summed this sentiment up perfectly. When asked what she would want her legacy to be, she explained she wanted to be part of women’s time in history, and for women’s voices to be heard – and through her experiences, she can help other women. A true role model, and such an inspiring evening.
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