About Me
I have had a diverse and rewarding career spanning more than 30 years so far. During that time I’ve spent over 20 years in leadership and management roles in banking, drafting and the not-for-profit and disability sectors.
My most impactful work has resulted from creating environments where trust and safety enabled new thinking and action. I’m energised by people and firmly believe in building relationships that inspire and motivate while carefully aligning accountability and empathy.
I’m driven to develop trusted and adaptive leaders that can have a lasting and positive impact in our organisations and our community.
I know how to execute, even with limited resources. I know how to communicate with diverse stakeholder groups. I also know what it means to be a 25 year old bank branch manager in the early 90s having difficult conversations with much older business customers!
I’ve built an award-winning social enterprise, and I’ve led a medium-sized not-for-profit as CEO. I understand building business and managing complex service delivery while keeping people and purpose at the centre.
As a leader in the not-for-profit sector, I continually fostered environments that enabled individuals to set and pursue challenging and aspirational goals with great courage, vulnerability and joy. This experience expanded my knowledge of and interest in human behaviour, nuanced communication, and emotional intelligence.
Being immersed in this human-centred environment influenced my approach to leadership and is, what I believe, sets me apart as a coach and consultant.
A little extra…
Outside of work I love to catch up with family and friends including my two adult sons. I love bush walking and camping. A campfire and a cup of tea or a glass of wine and I’m happy! Or take me to the outback any day!
For the past few years I’ve been getting creative with charcoal sketching and watercolour painting.
I have some fun stories about my sketches and Bruce Springsteen who I’ve seen in concert 9 times.
“Cathy brings a practical, hands-on management approach. She supports leaders in accountability, navigating challenges, and improving their leadership in real time. She knows what it means to work with limited resources and tight deadlines and how to build capability from the ground up.”
Charlotte Rimmer, Managing Director, Aide de MD
“After my session, I was able to go into a crucial meeting feeling prepared and with confidence & focus. The result was really positive, and has brought me closer to achieving my overall goals.”
Coaching client
“Cathy is a highly respected executive in the social enterprise sector with deep expertise in the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Charities broadly. Cathy held the role as CEO of Northside for 3 years, and during her time reporting to the Management Committee, I observed her passion for driving continuous improvement and growth in the organisations she led. Would highly recommend Cathy for consulting and commercial expertise.”
Elizabeth Farrell, Chair of Northside Enterprise Incorporated Committee
“I have worked with Cathy over many years and her leadership has always inspired me. She always leads with compassion and has a unique ability to bring people together. I think Cathy would help anyone seeking to improve their personal leadership.”
Mike Baird, CEO, McKinnon
“Cathy is a true leader. The kind of individual you want by your side for both personal and professional growth. If you’re curious about personal development, the Strengths Profile is a fascinating tool. The debrief session with Cathy was incredibly insightful. She guided me in deeply exploring my strengths and helped me understand the impact they have on my ongoing professional growth and career direction. Her support was invaluable!”
Yara Ruiz, Project Manager
“Just the helping hand I needed in taking the giant leap from my corporate job to a rewarding job in the non-profit sector. Cathy Hockey helped me identify areas I needed to focus on in my career progression. Her guidance also helped me tailor my resume and bring my transferrable skills to the forefront.”
Mentoring client
Also proudly working with these great organisations as a Coach/Facilitator and Coach/Mentor
Contact Me
Interested in working together? Send me some info and you’ll hear from me shortly. I look forward to chatting with you!