Catchpole (33) spent five years in Dunedin between 2005 and 2010 working for the Otago Rugby Football Union and the Highlanders, rising from ticketing to working with the elite squads.
''I was looking for an opportunity to come home, but I wasn't going to come home for just anything,'' Catchpole said from Sydney yesterday.
''I like my job here, but when it came up I thought although racing isn't my background at all, I've been to great events there [Wingatui] and I think it's only going to get bigger.''
Catchpole's parents, Humphrey and Julie, and her brother Ben all live in Dunedin, and it was through her father that Catchpole attended several race meetings at Wingatui racecourse during her time in Dunedin.
Catchpole, who graduated with a Bachelor Of Business degree from La Trobe University in Melbourne, is general manager of the Sydney University Football Club and the National Rugby Championship side Sydney Stars, and previously worked for the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby organisation in a team management role.
''I moved back to Melbourne after five years with the Highlanders and managed to talk my way into a job with the Rebels, which was outstanding because it was a start-up team - that was something I hadn't done before.
''To work with a new team when nothing has been in place before was really exciting.''
Catchpole is first to admit she's not a walking racing encyclopedia but sees that as a help rather than a hindrance.
''I think it's a strength because I'm going to see things from a new perspective. I'm not looking to go in and change things for the sake of changing them but I think I'll be able to look from the outside and see how things have been done and tweak a few things and bring some new ideas.''
Otago Racing Club president Dean Lawrence said Catchpole's background in professional sports management helped get her the job.
Lawrence noted Catchpole was not very familiar with the thoroughbred racing industry but said support from New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and local racing people would help develop her knowledge.
Catchpole sees similarities between the Sydney University Football Club and the Otago Racing Club, and says she will call on those experiences with the race days - and non-racing events - the club puts on.
''I think there will be a lot of similarities in terms of working with a small team, but trying to deliver big events with minimal staff and making them at that professional level,'' she said.
''The potential for growth at the Otago Racing Club and Wingatui itself is huge - I think what appeals to me, too, is that it's not just racing - there's scope for events and they have a great function space.''
Catchpole begins her new job on November 11, replacing Andre Klein, who finishes up after the Melbourne Cup day meeting at Wingatui on November 3.
