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Katie Page


Kay Leslie "Katie" Page (born 1956) is an Australian business executive and the CEO of retailer Harvey Norman. In 2015 she was ranked fourth on The Australian Business Review's list of the "50 most powerful women in business". She is a backer of several professional sports and an active promoter of women in sports.

Page was born in Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. She has three sisters. Her father, a bank manager, relocated the family approximately every four years, and Katie and her sisters grew up in St George, Rockhampton, and Brisbane. She graduated from Brisbane State High School in 1973 and planned to become a surveyor, but was discouraged by the low pay available then for women. She moved to Sydney, posing as a 21-year-old. When she was 19, she competed in an "intelligence test" to raise funds for children with autism; Gerry Harvey was one of the judges. Six years later, Harvey offered her a position as an assistant at his new Harvey Norman store. Page worked in ad buying, sales, marketing, and publicity for the firm, and also helped Harvey syndicate his horses. In 1988, when Page was 32 and Harvey 49, they married. She is Harvey's second wife.

Harvey Norman was founded in 1982 by Harvey and his partner, Ian Norman. Page joined the first store in 1983 as an assistant and in 1999 became CEO of the company. Harvey is the executive chairman.

Under Page's stewardship, Harvey Norman expanded into New Zealand in 1996, Singapore in 2000, Malaysia, Slovenia in 2003, and Ireland. It entered online sales in 2001. As of June 30, 2015, Harvey Norman operates 277 stores in eight countries, with revenues of $4.9 billion and net profit of $165 million. Page's base salary was AUD$2.07 million in 2014.

Page is active as a backer of several professional sports. She co-owns, with Harvey, the Magic Millions Thoroughbred racehorse auction house, along with four breeding studs and 1,000 racehorses.


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