Kate Mason

Kate Mason is an accomplished Non-Executive Director and transformation strategist, bringing over 35 years of global leadership experience to boardrooms and executive teams navigating complex change. Currently serving as Non-Executive Director of IPH Limited, where she sits on the Audit and Risk, People, Nominations and Remuneration, and Projects Committees, Kate provides strategic oversight to a leading global IP services group with operations spanning Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Asia.

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EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP AND TRANSFORMATION EXCELLENCE

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Kate's executive career spans some of the world's most prestigious organisations, including Credit Suisse, Coca-Cola Amatil, and Amcor, where she has consistently delivered exceptional commercial results at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and culture. Her track record includes co-leading the $11.1 billion integration of Coca-Cola Amatil into Coca-Cola European Partners, one of the largest M&A transactions in Australian corporate history. She has delivered over $700 million in value creation through comprehensive transformation programs and demonstrated crisis leadership by chairing Credit Suisse's Global Financial Crisis emergency team, where she orchestrated $1 billion in cost reductions while protecting critical organisational capability.

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At Coca-Cola Amatil, Kate served for 7 years as both Group Director of People & Culture and Chief Transformation Officer, leading the people strategy through multiple M&A transactions, divestments, and CEO succession processes. Her ability to align organisational and cultural dynamics with strategic objectives proved instrumental in driving sustainable growth and value creation.

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GLOBAL EXPERIENCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES EXPERTISE

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Kate's international experience is exceptional, having been based in Australia, Singapore, London, New York, and Zurich throughout her career. At Credit Suisse, she spent over 11 years in progressively senior roles, ultimately serving as Managing Director and Global Head of Human Resources for the IT Division, overseeing 16,000 employees worldwide. As a member of both the IT Management Committee and HR Management Committee for Credit Suisse, she gained intimate knowledge of financial services operations at the highest level during one of the most challenging periods in banking history.

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Prior to her corporate roles, Kate served as Global Head of Human Resource Development at Austrade from 1994 to 1998, where she developed leadership capabilities for Australia's trade and investment promotion agency across its global network. She also founded TST Learning (Tomorrow's Skills Today), a boutique leadership development and coaching practice in Singapore that served clients including Coca-Cola, Lucent, and Credit Suisse.

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ADVISORY PRACTICE

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In July 2021, Kate founded Self Energy, an executive coaching and corporate advisory practice dedicated to energising the potential of leaders. Through Self Energy, she provides executive coaching, women's leadership enablement, CEO succession planning, executive development, and people and culture strategy to a diverse client base, including Coca-Cola European Pacific Partners, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Allianz, ZipCo, Baringa, ANU, and Bendigo & Adelaide Bank.

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In February 2023, Kate co-founded Social Value with Paul Kelly, a company that provides evidence-based AI-enabled tools and insights to accelerate both commercial and social value creation. This venture reflects her commitment to leveraging technology and data to drive meaningful organisational and societal impact.

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BOARD SERVICE AND GOVERNANCE

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Kate's governance experience extends beyond her current directorship at IPH Limited. She has served as a Board Member of STUFF Global (2021-2023) and as a Member of the Board of Advisors for WithYouWithMe (2019-2022), where she mentored founders building innovative technology and veteran employment platforms. Her community leadership includes serving as Chairman of the NSW Advisory Board for Starlight Children's Foundation Australia (2014-2018) and as a Board Director for the Coca-Cola Australia Foundation.

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Kate has been deeply involved with the International Women's Forum, serving as Founding Director, Vice President, and President of the Australian chapter, and currently sits on the Global Forum Development Committee. This pre-eminent women's leadership organisation connects accomplished women from all walks of life who share a passion for developing themselves and the next generation of women leaders.

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RECOGNITION AND QUALIFICATIONS

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Kate's contributions to business leadership have been widely recognised. She was named in the Top 100 Global Human Resources Directors in 2021 and received the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award for Business, Government and Law from the University of Canberra. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (2011), a Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute, and a member of Chief Executive Women.

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Her educational foundation includes a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Canberra (1985-1987), complemented by the Company Directors Program from the Australian Institute of Company Directors, where she focused on board membership, governance, strategy, and driving financial performance.

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EXECUTIVE COACHING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

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As an executive coach and advisor, Kate has worked with CEO and C-suite leaders across more than 30 countries and diverse industries for nearly 30 years. Her coaching philosophy centres on building confidence and capability to lead through change and uncertainty "with head, heart and lots of courage." Client testimonials consistently highlight her ability to provide pragmatic advice and structures that deliver measurable results while fostering authentic leadership growth.

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STRATEGIC EXPERTISE AND VALUE PROPOSITION

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Kate's unique value proposition lies in her ability to focus on where strategy, transformation, and people meet, recognising the organisational and cultural dynamics that either enable or erode growth. Through both Self Energy and Social Value, she advises ASX Boards, executive teams, and private equity firms on strategy execution, transformation, CEO succession, and people-related risks. Her 25+ years of executive team leadership experience globally, combined with her deep operational knowledge and crisis management expertise, enable her to provide both strategic oversight and practical capability to organizations driving transformation and value creation.

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PERSONAL LIFE

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Kate is a proud mother of four children and maintains balance through quality time with her family, keeping fit, skiing, and embracing the many adventures life has to offer. Her personal philosophy of energising potential extends from her professional practice into her approach to life and family.