Catherine o’Connell Media bio

Catherine is an award-winning Tokyo-based senior business lawyer, coach-mentor and law podcaster, with a local and international practice including corporate, commercial and general business legal services, coaching & mentoring legal professionals and executives, and diplomatic level events MC. She is also an experienced Independent board Member, currently sitting on three Stock Exchange listed international companies and in the unlisted space on Chambers of Commerce and Advisory Boards.

With 30+ years of experience gained through senior management appointments as in-house legal counsel with some of Japan's largest companies and working at top-tier law firms, she provides her clients with a range of strategic, governance, innovative, individual and team leadership services.

An active and influential Tokyo based executive, Catherine is a lawpreneur and recognised as a trusted adviser, innovator and influencer in her legal and entrepreneurial fields.  She provides strategic leadership, oversight and advice to companies, high net worth individuals, SMEs, NPO’s and professional bodies as a Chair/Vice-Chair, Non-Executive Board Member, Business owner, and Lawyer.  Catherine brings a highly adaptable and resourceful approach, having supported multi-million dollar companies in Japan, helped overseas companies with first to market investment opportunities in Japan, and protected the reputation of major corporate brands through solid contracts and business terms. She adds value and develops deep relationships based on integrity and was awarded Boutique Law Firm of the Year 2023 and Foreign Lawyer of the Year 2022, at the ALB Japan Law Awards. In 2020 she won  Entrepreneur of the Year, and was identified two watch lists: the Top 30 People to Watch for the Business of Law in Asia 2022, and 30 Women Legal Innovators in Asia in 2022 by Asia Law Portal.

Catherine is a well-known professional mentor-coach, law podcaster, and diplomatic-level events moderator/MC with a track record in performing as MC for the then New Zealand Prime Minister’s trade missions to Japan in 2019 and 2022.  She understands the big picture of doing business in Japan and also gets down into the details where it is important, be that through her work as a lawyer, coach-mentor, speaker, MC or podcast host.

She is an inspirational speaker and influencer with a compelling, genuine style. Her local and international subject matter expertise includes business, women’s leadership, Japanese and New Zealand business, board governance, business integrity, diversity and inclusion, executive mentoring & coaching and lawyer wellbeing.

As well as her passion for the law, Catherine holds two Non-Executive board appointments, most recently serving on the Audit and Supervisory Board of TOYOTA Motor Corporation (TYO: 7203) (global vehicle manufacturer and mobility company) Fujitsu Limited (TYO: 6702) (a Japanese multinational information and communications technology equipment and services corporation and Japan’s largest IT service provider servicing corporate customers in Japan and internationally), and she is also on the board at CSL Behring KK (ASX: CSL)  (global biotechnology leader, world's largest collector of human plasma, and provider of innovative medicine including a wide range of recombinant and plasma-derived products for treating bleeding disorders, immune deficiencies and chronic inflammatory diseases.) 

Catherine is President of Women in Law Japan (2020 ~), a group of women lawyers and allies who come together to inspire, connect and empower women working in the law. She is also the curious and engaging host of the award-winning legal Podcast “Lawyer on Air” unlocking the stories women lawyers never tell, giving them a voice in the global community to share their unique insights and experiences from their work and lives in the law in Japan. Catherine is also a co-host of the “Jandals in Japan” podcast sharing stories about doing business in Japan, through actual experiences shared by successful New Zealand product and services businesses in Japan.