Dame Theresa Gattung: The Telecom CEO Who Became One of NZ's Most Powerful Women

If you grew up in New Zealand in the late 90s or early 2000s, chances are you’ll know that name Dame Theresa Gattung.

Theresa became the CEO of Telecom at just 37 years old. Becoming the first woman to run a large NZ public company.

And during that time, she was part of some massive decisions - including the sale of the Yellow Pages for over $2 billion… which, looking back now, was unbelievably well-timed.

But that’s just one chapter.

Since then, she’s gone on to back and build businesses like My Food Bag, which became one of New Zealand’s biggest startup success stories… and gave her the freedom to live life more on her terms.

But this conversation isn’t just about business.

We unpack it all here:

The mindset that helped Theresa become CEO at 37

The reality of being a woman in leadership - then vs now

Lessons from burnout, failure, and rebuilding after major life transitions

Why she chose not to have children — and has no regrets

Her daily non-negotiables for mental and physical wellbeing

What success looks like to her now in her 60s

There’s some incredible perspective in this one: On leadership, on resilience, and on what actually matters when you zoom out a bit and look at the big picture.

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