Theresa Gattung

In October 1999, she took over from Rod Deane as Telecom's CEO of the telecommunications business with a $5 billion turnover operating in New Zealand and Australia and listed on the NZX, ASX and NYSE.

During her tenure as CEO Gattung led Telecom through world-changing technology developments and the evolution of the business from a traditional telco to the number one IT provider in New Zealand.

She is NZ Lead for SheEO,[16] a radically redesigned ecosystem that supports, finances, and celebrates female innovators.

[19] In the 2015 New Year Honours, Gattung was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to business and philanthropy.

[22] In the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours, Gattung was promoted to Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to women, governance and philanthropy.

Gattung in 2017
Gattung (right), after her investiture as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit by the governor-general, Dame Cindy Kiro , at Government House, Auckland , on 2 October 2024