Born in Kampung Kaulan Tuaran on March 6 1957, Catherine received her early education at SRK Kaulan until Primary Three. She was picked to study at a special school for the visually impaired at St. Nicholas Institute in Penang from Primary Four until Primary Six. She continued her education at Convent Light Street in Penang from Secondary One until Secondary Three and completed her STPM at St John’s Institution in Kuala Lumpur.
She acquired a diploma in Public Relations after that and then went to complete her diploma in Advanced Aromatherapy from the UK in 1980. From 1981 until 1989, Catherine worked in various capacities like as Assistant Public Relations Officer for the Malaysian Association for the Blind and Operations Manager for Joanne Drew International.
But her passion lay with the therapy industry and in 1989 she decided to operate a reflexology business from home before she set up the Optimum health Enterprise in 1992. At the same time, she also went into the direct selling business for Shaklee products and now has attained the rank of senior coordinator until she formed Maju Cergas Entity Sdn. Bhd. In 2005, a company that would eventually manage her reflexology centre, Executive Holistic therapy (EHT). What makes Catherine, who act as the Managing Director of Executive Holistic Therapy, unique is being partially blind, her story is all the more poignant.
The Executive Holistic therapy currently employs staffs of who are visually impaired masseurs as being a businesswoman is not all she wants because she is also hoping to become a role model for other visually-impaired what want to start their own business. Catherine also wants to create awareness on the abilities of visually-impaired as useful members of the society.
