Taking care of business
i’m not very nice if I haven’t had my morning swim,” says Theresa Gattung, with a gleeful laugh. The Kiwi business legend is looking out her living room window at the heated swimming pool from which she’s recently emerged; her hair still wet after her daily 50 lengths, and her spirits high. Swimming, she says, keeps her on an even keel.
“It’s like coffee is for some people, I pretty much need it to function. I really struggle to get going without it actually, it oxygenates my brain.”
When it comes to caffeine though, Theresa sticks with decaf.
“I’m wired enough,” she says, settling down to chat at her home in Auckland’s Westmere. She might be joking, but “wired” is exactly the right word for this indomitable 59-year-old, whose tireless energy, passion and enthusiasm has helped her climb the ranks as one of this country’s most accomplished and dedicated business leaders.
Since becoming CEO of Telecom at age 37, she’s continued on her trailblazing path, becoming a best-selling author, hugely successful entrepreneur, mentor, philanthropist and all-round champion for women and girls. Her world these days, she says, is viewed entirely through a “gender lens” – if a project doesn’t have a direct benefit to the sisterhood, then she won’t go near it.
“That’s my kaupapa now, that’s my calling. Everything in
