Aspiring CFOs: What Boards Really Want — and How to Deliver It

Are you a CFO, or do you interact with a CFO on your board?

Fresh from my Criticaleye Asia Podcast conversation, here are the patterns I see across boardrooms in Asia: the best CFOs are strategic storytellers, architects of what’s next, and emotionally intelligent leaders who read the room. Boards expect more than accuracy; they want CFOs who can shape the future. Below I’ve turned those ideas into practical steps for your next board cycle.

*** These are general views - not based on any specific company, board, or person I’ve mentored.

Wrap up from July 2025 from Catherine O’Connell Law.

I often hear this from lawyers (and many others!):

“I’ve advised boards for years. I know how they work. I’m ready to serve on one.”

But I have one thing to tell you - Advising a board of a company client, as external counsel, is not the same as serving as a lawyer on a board in an outside director role.

This blog post aims to share what it takes to make the  mindset shift clearer, and spell out how your role and perspective evolve when moving from outside counsel to an outside director lawyer role on a board:

💬 For those who’ve made the leap: What helped you make this mindset shift? DM me and let me know!

Wrap up from June 2025 from Catherine O’Connell Law.

Stop Practicing. Start Leading.

If you're toggling between being an excellent lawyer and the actual CEO of your firm, then this podcast episode is your wake-up call. In the final chapter of the Built to Lead series, I sat down with host Bridgit Norris to talk about the identity shift every woman in law needs to make if she wants to stop operating as a technician and start owning as a leader.

Wrap up from May 2025 from Catherine O’Connell Law.

Wrap up from April 2025 from Catherine O’Connell Law.

Catherine O’Connell has been recognised by Best Lawyers in the 2026 listing for Governance and Compliance. Read Catherine’s comments —>

Wrap up from March 2025 from Catherine O’Connell Law.

🚨🐝 Not all glass ceilings are broken by women: some are reinforced by them. We talk a lot about male allyship, but what about women supporting women? What about the times when it’s not men holding us back, but other women?

The truth is, some women climb the ladder but pull it up behind them, gatekeeping opportunities, withholding key information, and deciding who ‘deserves’ to rise.

~ Why does this happen?
~ What can we do about it?
~ And how can we shift from scarcity thinking to true allyship?

In my latest piece, I dive into the 🐝 Queen Bee effect 🐝, the real meaning of allyship, and why success is like Wi-Fi - not a pie.

Read on, and let’s change the conversation.

💬 Have you ever encountered gatekeeping in your career? Let’s talk!

Wrap up from February 2025 from Catherine O’Connell Law.

Wrap up from January 2025 from Catherine O’Connell Law.