This year’s Women of Influence Awards were a true celebration of the women who are creating a bold and diverse future for New Zealand.
This is the fifth time the Awards have been held, and each year they get larger and more prestigious. They aim to celebrate the important role that women are playing in shaping New Zealand’s future, in spheres that range from corporate management and diversity, to public policy and the arts.
Last night’s gala dinner saw a Global Women Member and a Breakthrough Leader Alumna awarded.
Rural: Rebecca Keoghan, general manager/director Westland Milk Products and Pamu Academy
A graduate of Global Women’s Breakthrough Leaders Programme, Rebecca Keoghan was elected to the Westland Milk Products Board as a director in 2015 and is Chair of the Health & Safety Committee and member of the Shareholder Relations Committee. She has a Bachelor of Medical Science, Diplomas in leadership and business management and certificate in Company Direction. Currently she is employed as General Manager of the Pamu Academy, Business Manager for Landcorp Farming and Director for Buller Holdings Ltd. Rebecca has wealth of experience at both executive and governance levels. She also lends her time as the Team Leader & Judge for the NZ Industry award Dairy Manager of the Year competition, helping to celebrate the success of farmers in New Zealand. Rebecca owns a 200 cow farm in Westport with her husband Nathan, has two children aged 7 & 8 and was voted the 2016 Dairy Woman of the Year. This year Rebecca received a New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to business, particularly the dairy industry.
Lifetime achievement: Theresa Gattung
Theresa Gattung is a leading New Zealand business personality and author of her best-selling autobiography Bird on a Wire. Named in Fortune magazine’s list of the 50 most powerful women in international business several times since 2002, she was also included in Forbes’ list of the world’s 50 most powerful women across any sphere in 2006.
Theresa was recognised in the 2015 New Year’s Honours List being made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and philanthropy. In August 2015 Theresa was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Fame at the 2015 TVNZ Marketing Awards.
Over the last few years Theresa has been involved in a wide spread of governance positions in both New Zealand and Australia and entrepreneurial start-ups including being co-founder, alongside Cecilia Robinson and Nadia Lim, of the very successful start-up, My Food Bag. My Food Bag has a turnover of around $80m after just three years operation. Theresa takes an active role in the management, marketing and direction of My Food Bag.
Theresa joined the AIA Australia Board as an Independent Director in May 2009 and was appointed as Chair of the Board in March 2010. She is also Chair of Telco Technology Services Limited (TTS).
Theresa was the inaugural Chair of Wool Partners International from July 2008 to March 2011, leading the company’s drive to reinvigorate the international market for New Zealand’s strong wools. She was also the Chair of the New Zealand Advisory Group for the Frankfurt Book Fair 2012.
From October 1999 to June 2007 Theresa was CEO and Managing Director of Telecom New Zealand, a $5 billion turnover telecommunications business operating in New Zealand and Australia and listed on the NZX, ASX and NYSE. During her tenure as CEO she 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.
Theresa is involved with a number of not-for-profit and philanthropic interests, including being co-founder and trustee of the Eva Doucas Charitable Trust and the World Women Charitable Trust, Patron of the Cambodia Charitable Trust and Chair of the Wellington Board of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
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