Cathie Brown

Over 25 years Cathie has held executive roles in a variety of industries. She has successfully led major transformational initiatives and provided strategic and tactical business services for complex and diverse customers.

Starting her working life as a journalist writing a weekly suburban newspaper, career highlights have included being the project director for a new Rescue Helicopter Service, leading change in Rural Solutions and vocational education, heading up marketing and public relations in the State’s Child Protection Department and Project Director of an Equal Opportunity Report into sex discrimination and sexual harassment in SA Police.

For the past seven years she has been the CEO of the Leaders Institute of South Australia which provides holistic programs to develop the leadership capabilities of South Australians. Programs include the highly regarded Governor’s Leadership Foundation, now in its 25th year, emerging leader programs and in-house programs.  This role enables Cathie to pursue her purpose of building a more generous and inclusive community through developing quality, human-centered leaders.

Cathie has also contributed to the community through serving on many boards in a variety of sectors.   Starting with her children’s primary school board, Cathie then served on health and higher education related boards, then Uniting Communities, Radio 5MBS and UniSA’s MBA Advisory Group.  She is currently Treasurer of The Leadership Network, a Director of the Real Estate Institute of South Australia and a Director of South Australian Living Artists (SALA).

Awarded the Alex Ramsay Award for dux of her University of South Australia Master of Business Administration as well as the MBA Chapter Prize, Cathie also holds a Bachelor of Arts and is a Graduate of the AICD Company Directors’ Course.

She is married with two adult daughters and enjoys beach walking, mid-century modern design, gardening, books and travel.