For Cathy Parker, owning a magazine publishing company was never high on the agenda early in her career. When she embarked on the journey with the purchase of NZ Company Vehicle and NZ Windsurfer magazines in 1993 she had zero experience. In fact, despite graduating from Auckland University with an engineering degree, her career background largely consisted of managerial and sales roles across both the alternative fuels and car leasing sectors.
Looking to put corporate life behind her, purchasing both magazines seemed the perfect solution, particularly considering that windsurfing was her main hobby.
“While I had no experience around publishing, I did possess sales, IT, HR, strategic planning and management skills, as well as a strong knowledge