Our People

Our team are the backbone of everything we do. Our senior management team are over 60% women, and we are proud to employ a diverse group of people who are passionate about what we do and our clients.

 Senior Management

 
KIERAN CATO
Managing Director

— An expert problem solver and never without his phone, Kieran is always available to consult, troubleshoot and loves nothing more than a challenge.

After a year in the film industry working on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, Kieran founded CATO Location Services in 2012. He saw a gap in the market for crew that understood the intricacies of filming and how a set works. Initially established to provide premium support to the Film, TV and Events industries, CATO has since grown into the largest location services company in Sydney. We have worked on the largest Australian productions and events of the past decade, including City of Sydney NYE, the Mad Max franchise, and Sydney WorldPride Pride March.

Since 2012 Kieran has acquired the iconic Australian makeup and wardrobe trucks, Honeywagons. He has also established StreetSTRONG, a company specialising in stamped asphalt and decorative streetscapes, and O MY POD, the Green Room container pods created with the Film, TV and Events industries in mind.

In 2022 Kieran spent over two months in Bhutan, shooting on location for the National Geographic series Pole to Pole with Will Smith. Kieran consulted on all things Traffic, Unit and Logistics for the production. He worked with Nutopia UK who CATO have previously collaborated with on the series Limitless with Chris Hemsworth.

ANNA ROSA
Operations Manager

— Anna manages all of our business operations as well as the CATO client experience.

She is always up for taking questions regarding your project or how we can improve what we do. With a background in hospitality and events, Anna is confident and proficient in pulling all aspects of a job together. She is also a motivated leader, empowering and developing the skills of our operations and client service teams. Having worked her way up through the ranks over her three years at CATO, Anna’s passion for problem-solving has made her an invaluable part of the business.

GENEVIEVE HILTON
Finance & Payroll Manager

— Have a question about your account?

In some cases, the client service team will direct you to Gen. Not your average accountant – we don’t call her Hurricane Hilton for nothing. Gen is across all of the projects which CATO services and was integral to the company’s acquisition of Climate Active Carbon Neutral status in 2022. Gen was also instrumental in creating CATO’s live and interactive quoting tool ‘QUOTA’, which provides accurate and transparent quotes to help keep clients on budget.

COLETTE RETALLICK
People & Culture Manager

— Colette leads the employee experience at CATO. 

Colette is passionate about the essential and strategic role which people play in the success of CATO. Having worked across the globe, she brings experience from a variety of industries, including mining, fintech and retail. At CATO, Colette dedicates herself to ensuring a fulfilling and fun workplace for all. 

 Sales & Client Service

 
NICOLA ILLIADIS
Senior Account Manager, Events

— Combining her first-hand experience in event volunteering and her love of arts and culture, Nicola manages the client relationships of the event accounts at CATO.

Her passion for live and community events, alongside an extensive history of experience in hospitality and customer service, will ensure your next event is managed seamlessly.

LACHLAN ERHART
Account Manager, Film & TV

— Lachlan always strives to be of service and is constantly pushing to help however he can.

Queensland-born and bred, Lachlan studied film and TV and spent time in the post-production world before moving to Sydney to join the CATO team. Safety and compliance oriented, Lachlan is also in the process of acquiring certification to become a safety supervisor. 

LARISHA DOWSON-TAYLOR
Account Manager

— Larisha loves making genuine connections with people and strives to ensure the best experience for our clients.

Having recently come on board in the role of Account Manager, Larisha is the newest addition to the CATO team. Before embarking on a career in the sector, Larisha studied costume construction for film and live performance. She has fulfilled numerous roles from a costume maker to a production assistant on set for film and TV.

 Operations

 
KAT STEWART
Traffic Management Coordinator

— TGS whiz and traffic control team wrangler.

Kat has over five years of traffic experience working on large-scale projects. She’s the go-to for our traffic operations team and takes care of everything from the planning to the logistics. An expert at what she does, Kat is a highly skilled Traffic Manager out on the road too.

MICHAEL PARKER
Traffic Manager & Safety Supervisor

With CATO since 2014, Michael is an expert when it comes to all things traffic control.

In his role as Traffic Manager, he has drawn thousands of traffic guidance schemes over the years. Knowledgeable and highly organised, Michael is excellent at troubleshooting all traffic-related challenges. He is a WHS officer and now also works in the Safety space for Film, TV and Events.

CRAIG HUNTER
Traffic Manager & Planner

— Leaving engineering to join CATO during the early days, Craig worked his way up to traffic manager before moving across to become a unit manager. 

Craig now works across both unit and traffic. He is highly knowledgeable in the traffic space with credits including Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, Heartbreak High and many others.

AKTAN AKTAS
Operations & People Coordinator

— In charge of rostering across the traffic and security teams.

Aktan loves getting to know his teammates so he can best understand how to match the right person with the right job. Aktan also works across the logistics component.

Marketing 

 
CEALAN ‘TIGER’ MACDONNELL
Marketing Manager

— The machine behind CATO’s branding and copy.

Affectionately known as Tiger, Cealan started with CATO five years ago as one of our youngest CATO employees. Beginning as one of our traffic controllers, she quickly climbed the ranks through to our marketing department where she now plays a crucial role in how the world sees CATO.

Additional Crew

 

Unit Managers

CATO has 6 unit managers who’ve had the opportunity to work across Australia, from WA to far North Queensland. the majority of our unit managers are based in Sydney however, we’re always open to interstate opportunities.

Safety Supervisors

CATO offers over 20 crew options within the safety space, covering the majority of states and working across film, TV, TVC and events.