After moving to Australia from Scotland as a teenager, Catherine commenced her professional career in public libraries and following experience in school and special libraries in the UK, worked in academic libraries in Western Australia for over 20 years at both The University of Western Australia and Curtin University.  Catherine was appointed as the CEO and State Librarian at the State Library of Western Australia in 2022.  

Additional leadership roles have included: Chair of the Aurora Foundation, an international organisation committed to providing development opportunities for emerging leaders in the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums sectors; Member of the Curtin University Council, the University’s governing authority; Member of the Board of the Council of Australian University Librarians; and Member of the National and State Libraries Australasia Board.

In 2017, Catherine was honoured to be recognised with the Excellence in Leadership Award from the Australian and New Zealand Association for Tertiary Education Management.