Catherine McNeil was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia. Her modeling career began when she entered and won the Girlfriend/CoverGirl model search in her native Australia.

Catherine's modeling career soared to international prominence after meeting legendary photographer Mario Testino in 2007.

Since her start, Catherine has appeared on the covers and in the pages of the most renowned fashion magazines, including Vogue (American, French, Italian, British, Japanese, and Australian), Numéro, Harper's Bazaar, Self Service, V, W, i-D, Pop, and Another Magazine. Catherine has worked with famed photographers such as Steven Klein, Patrick Demarchelier, David Sims, Mario Sorrenti, Peter Lindbergh, Inez & Vinoodh, Terry Richardson, Juergen Teller, Karl Lagerfeld, Mikael Jansson and Craig McDean.

Catherine's statuesque and alluring beauty has been featured in numerous advertising campaigns for designers such as Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Jean Paul Gautier, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, and Hugo Boss. She is currently the face of Essence, the new scent by Narciso Rodriguez. Since her runway debut, Catherine has walked for the world's top designers including Chanel, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermès, Givenchy, Versace, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Alexander McQueen, Missoni, Rodarte, Carolina Herrera, and Stella McCartney.

Catherine currently resides in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood.