Bursting on to the scene when she became the managing director of AMP Capital Investors at just 33, Catherine Savage is one of New Zealand’s most respected businesswomen.
Savage is the daughter of late Wellington businessman Roy Savage, who made his money through owning a safety clothing business before focusing on private equity. Catherine now runs the Savage Group, the family’s investment business.
She also chairs the Guardians of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. Her role has seen her frequently appear in the public arena: in April, she took part in an initiative where fund managers called for tighter controls on Facebook, Twitter and Google, with the aim of preventing the live-streaming and distribution of objectionable content in the wake of the Christchurch shootings.
She was also in the news last year as the Super Fund sought to retain control over its then chief executive Adrian Orr’s pay, which had ballooned to more than $1 million. Savage argued the Super Fund should remain exempt from the government’s State Sector and Crown Entities Reform Bill, which put controls on the pay of state sector chief executives. Despite this, the bill passed into law.
Along with her work at the Savage Group and the Super Fund, Savage was once on the board of Kiwibank and was last year named a Fellow of INFINZ (Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand) for her significant contribution to the finance industry. She is managing director of Savage Group’s CMS Capital and was previously a non-executive director of Todd Family Office, chairwoman of the National Provident Fund and, until February, an independent director of Pathfinder Asset Management. For the past decade she has been a member of the management and trust boards of Samuel Marsden Collegiate School.
In April she was appointed a director of Infratil, the infrastructure investment company. In a statement, Infratil chairman Mark Tume said she was a well-qualified choice for the role. “Catherine is a highly experienced investor and director with substantial governance experience in the investment management sector,” he said.
2018: $135 million