Alumni Profile: Catherine Drayton
Catherine Drayton is not one to shy from opportunity. It’s that adventurous spirit that has taken her around the world and today sees her as a highly respected independent director. Catherine is current chair of Christchurch International Airport Ltd, Guardians of NZ Superannuation, and deep tech company Mint Innovation. She’s also on the advisory boards of the Ben Gough Family Office, and a director of Genesis Energy, Southern Cross Medical Care Society and Southern Cross Healthcare. After graduating with degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of Canterbury, the former SMC Old
your actions. “The best advice doesn’t necessarily come from your peer group. Some of my best life decisions have come from consulting someone that I respected and then taking all, or part, of their advice. “Try and be aspirational and don’t let your thoughts or self-talk limit you.” It’s no surprise that Catherine recommends venturing
Girl joined the accounting firm that eventually became
offshore.
Deloitte. Following a secondment to New York for 18
“Living and working overseas provides you with
months, she worked in London, and then for 15 years in
breadth. For me, it meant that I was exposed to lots of
Central and Eastern Europe living in Prague, Warsaw
change which I need to adapt to and I needed to help
and Budapest.
others adapt to. It helped me understand different
During this time, Deloitte merged with another firm
cultures and beliefs. It provided me with a vast variety
in the US and New Zealand, and a different firm in
of work and life experiences. It made me think deeply
Europe. As a result, Catherine became part of
about my unconscious biases.
PricewaterhouseCoopers in a 24 country practice in
“For me, it’s about not being biased towards people
Central and Eastern Europe. In this role, she led the
who look like me; being aware that memories aren’t
advisory practice for 17 of those countries, later adding
facts; being aware that it’s easy to focus on information
assurance to her portfolio. Her specialism was buy-side
that confirms our opinion or focus on information that
mergers and acquisitions.
is repeated and framed to stand out and be memorable;
Catherine’s diverse experiences in work and travel have
being aware not to be overly influenced by the first
taught her many things. She says two previous board appointments – Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation and Beca
piece of information you hear or read. We are human. We are flawed. What is important is to know that we are
– gave her invaluable insights and learning experiences.
flawed and try and be aware of that.”
“The first is that everything is about people. We are all
While Catherine doesn’t plan to live overseas again for
the same and we are all different. The second is that personal resilience is very important and part of that is learning to forgive yourself and to forgive others. Life is full of joy and it is also full of bumps.” Her advice to young women is direct.
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biases and how that impacts your decisions and
any extended time, she definitely has travel plans afoot. Her true passion for travel is in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and areas of significant biodiversity. Her last two trips, pre-Covid, were to walk the Cape to Cape outside Margaret River in Australia, and earlier, to Sudan and Djibouti. This year Catherine’s playing it a bit safe. She
“Don’t overthink. Take the work or life experiences
has a multi-day walk planned in Australia and later,
that come your way; try and resist saying ‘no.’ Work on
a walk in the Argylls, plus seeing friends in Prague
your personal resilience. Be aware of your unconscious
and Paris.
