Pushing Doors Open: Catherine O'Connell on Strategic Patience, Governance, and Giving Back скачать в хорошем качестве

Pushing Doors Open: Catherine O'Connell on Strategic Patience, Governance, and Giving Back

Guest Host Yoko Oshima leads this episode’s interview with host Catherine O’Connell as Lawyer on Air reaches the milestone of 5 years on air and 100 guests. Catherine shares her remarkable journey from a shy New Zealand teenager to an award-winning lawyer, podcast host, and board member at companies like Toyota and Fujitsu. You will hear about the pivotal moments that shaped her career, and why she believes courage must come before confidence. If you love listening to LOA and want to know more about Catherine, this is the episode for you. In this episode you’ll hear: How Catherine's childhood curiosity and shyness coexist with the confidence she's built over decades in Japan The Japanese lawyers who inspired her career transition and the mentor who saw her potential before she did Why she's stayed in Japan for 23 years despite initially planning “max two years”, and the concept of "strategic patience" The high-stakes investigation moment when Catherine realised that THIS was why she became a lawyer Her favourite restaurant and other fun facts About Catherine Catherine O’Connell is a bilingual New Zealand lawyer and the Principal & Founder of Catherine O’Connell Law, the first foreign female–founded law firm in Tokyo. An award-winning practitioner, she has been recognised as Foreign Lawyer of the Year (2022), Boutique Law Firm of the Year (2023), and Entrepreneur of the Year (2020) for her leadership and innovation. Catherine served as an Independent Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Toyota Motor Corporation (2023–2025) and currently serves as an Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Fujitsu Limited (since 2022). Through these appointments she became the first non-Japanese female in Japanese corporate history to serve in such roles on these two blue-chip corporate boards. Her governance work is defined by cross-cultural fluency, bilingual communication, and a capacity to translate complex legal, compliance, and risk issues into clear board-level insight. Drawing on more than 20 years’ experience in senior in-house legal counsel roles at Molex, Panasonic, Olympus, Mitsubishi Motors, alongside private practice experience at Hogan Lovells, and Anderson Lloyd, Catherine now advises boards, CEOs, and C-suite executives on governance, cross-border leadership, and boardroom mindset. Her C-suite mentoring programmes help executives understand how boards think and decide, enabling stronger alignment and strategic clarity. Catherine hosts the award-winning Lawyer on Air podcast and co-hosts Jandals in Japan, celebrating cross-border success stories. She is Vice-Chair Emerita of the Australia & New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan, Co-Chair of the Legal Services & IP Committee at the ACCJ, and Past President and Advisory Board Member of Women in Law Japan. Connect with Yoko LinkedIn:   / yoko-oshima-36a7396   Links Unpausable play list: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3aC... Wakanui Restaurant: https://www.wakanui.jp/grill_dining_b... Connect with Catherine LinkedIn   / oconnellcatherine   Instagram:   / lawyeronair   YouTube Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: Special Guest Catherine O'Connell 01:14 - Warmup Question: Favourite Bar and Restaurant in Tokyo 02:30 - Growing Up in New Zealand: Curiosity & Shyness Coexisting 05:29 - Japanese Tour Guide: The Surprising First Career 08:31 - Why Law? Japanese Lawyers as Inspiration 11:03 - Mentors Who Believed: The Keio Graduate's Impact 12:08 - The Investigation: A Career-Defining Moment of Trust 14:35 - Biggest Cultural & Professional Adjustments in Japan 16:31 - Strategic Patience: Why Success Takes Decades 18:15 - Private Practice vs In-House: Bridging Both Worlds 21:00 - Confidence Gap & Imposter Syndrome: Courage First, Confidence Later 23:38 - The Book: A Library of Wisdom from 100 Guests 25:25 - Unlearning Perfection: Imperfection Is Perfect 27:31 - Community Leadership: Women in Law Japan & ANZCCJ 32:39 - Expanding Beyond Legal: Curiosity as the Key 34:51 - Board Roles: When Governance Became a Calling 37:12 - Thinking Like a CEO & Owner, Not Just a Lawyer 40:18 - Nemawashi Myth: The Agricultural Metaphor 43:41 - Preparing for Board Roles: Financial Literacy & Body Language 47:02 - Recharging Through Travel, Conversation & This Podcast 49:34 - Personal Reset Rituals: Music & Walking 51:53 - How Success Has Evolved Over Time 54:00 - Work-Life Integration for Working Parents 54:54 - Pushing Doors Open: The Philosophy of Opportunity 56:46 - Quick Fire Questions Begin 58:01 - The Drawing Skill Catherine Wishes She Had 58:50 - Surprising Fact: Melted Ice Cream Preference 01:00:00 - Closing Remarks