Catherine has more than 30 years of international executive experience, predominantly in energy developing major capital projects, responsible for investments, operating assets and retail businesses.
Catherine retired from EnergyAustralia in July 2021 after serving seven years as Managing Director. In the same year, Catherine also retired after serving 10 years on the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and from the Board of the Business Council of Australia. At EnergyAustralia, Catherine’s leadership team was 50% female, the gender pay gap was closed, and the business was acknowledged for its leadership and innovation in supporting its LGBTIQ+ community and workplace giving.
As Managing Director of BG Group’s Australian business, QGC Pty Limited, and as Executive Vice President for Australia and China, Catherine led the development of Queensland’s first LNG project, one of Australia’s largest capital infrastructure projects at the time. She then became Chair, BG Australia.
Catherine has also held senior roles at Shell. She was Executive Vice President of Shell Gas & Power with responsibility for the company’s LNG, gas transmission and power generation interests across Africa. She held similar roles covering North Asia, Russia, North America and Latin America. In the 1990s, she worked for BHP Petroleum in Melbourne and London.
In 2020, Catherine was appointed by the Prime Minister to the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission. She was formerly a Director of the Board of the 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation and a member of the Australian G20 business body (B20), the Lowy Institute's G20 Advisory Committee, as well as Chair of the Q20 and a member of the Catholic Foundation Board and Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition.
Catherine Tanna is a Non-Executive Director of the Board of Directors of BHP, a member of BHP’s remuneration and sustainability committees, and a Member of the Advisory Board of Fujitsu Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, a founding member of The b Team Australasia, a member of Chief Executive Women, and is an honorary member of the Business Council of Australia. Catherine joined the Bechtel Group, Inc. Board of Directors in 2023.