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  • Published: 1 May 2010
  • ISBN: 9781869792954
  • Imprint: RHNZ Adult ebooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 272

Bird On a Wire

The Inside Story from a Straight Talking CEO



Inside the high pressure, brutalising CEO world with New Zealand's highest profile businesswoman.

Inside the high pressure, brutalising CEO world with New Zealand's highest profile businesswoman.

No woman has ever risen as far in the corporate world as former Telecom CEO Theresa Gattung. Her appointment, at a young age and from the marking ranks, astounded the country, and her leadership of the big telco that Kiwis love to hate was never far from the headlines.

This no-holds-barred memoir tells of her ambition, her determination, and her rise to business power. It tells of the highs of running a vitally important company such as Telecom and also the lows, as the company struggled with an Australian telco acquisition, shareholder pressure, antagonism from the government, battles with its telco competitors and changing technology. After seven years she felt she'd given her all.

The personal toll of those tough years at the top had been significant and Gattung is frank about how she had to rebuild her life with a clear focus.


Bird on a Wire is a candid, engaging and inspirational story that points the way to new ways of leadership and running businesses.

  • Published: 1 May 2010
  • ISBN: 9781869792954
  • Imprint: RHNZ Adult ebooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 272

About the author

Theresa Gattung

Theresa Gattung wrote the bestselling memoir Bird on a Wire: The inside story from a straight-talking CEO about her time as Chief Executive Officer of Telecom and the road that took her to becoming New Zealand’s highest-profile businesswoman. Several times she featured Fortune’s list of The World’s 50 Most Powerful Businesswomen, and in 2006 was number 49 on the Forbes list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. As well as an inspirational story, Bird on a Wire explores new ways of leadership and running businesses. Gattung was appointed CEO of Telecom in 1999 at the age of 37, and led the company through massive change for seven years — including the struggle with an Australian telco acquisition, shareholder pressure, antagonism from the government, controversy over pricing, battles with Telecom’s telco competitors, and changing technology. See www.theresagattung.com.
She talks candidly of the personal toll of those tough years at the top, and about how she has rebuilt her life. A member of Global Women, an active philanthropist and busy keynote speaker, she lives in Wellington. She chaired the Advisory Group, NZ Country of Honour, Frankfurt Book Fair 2012, and chairs AAA Australia, Telco Technology Services and the Wellington SPCA. From 2008 to 2011 she was Chair of Wool Partners International. Gattung has a Bachelor of Management Studies (Honours) in economics and marketing from the University of Waikato, and a Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University of Wellington. Gattung held senior marketing roles at TVNZ, National Mutual, the Bank of New Zealand and Telecom before taking over as Telecom CEO from Roderick Dean.