Bird on a Wire: The Inside Story From a Straight Talking CEO

No woman has ever risen as far in the corporate world as former Telecom CEO Theresa Gattung. Her appointment, at such a young age 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 the Australian AAPT 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.

First with her chic Californian fashion store showcasing New Zealand fashion, and now with her chairmanship of the company that's uniting sheep farmers to get better export returns for wool, she's in the vanguard of New Zealand business leaders determined to find a way to pay our way in the world again. Bird on a Wire is a candid, engaging and inspirational story.

Author Biography

Theresa Gattung was appointed CEO of Telecom in 1999 at the age of 37 and lead the company through massive change for seven years. She is now the chairman of Wool Partners International and has a fashiop store in California stocking New Zealand designer labels. She lives in Wellington.