The Institute of Directors (IoD) has lots to offers directors aspiring to be the best and to make a real difference in their communities. Here, the IoD Chartered Director of the Year for Yorkshire and North East Carole O'Neil tells us all about why membership matters to her.
Tell us a bit about your role at Cundall.
I started as Human Resources Director about 14 years ago and since then the role has evolved to cover a range of wider operational management activities. I’m a partner in the business, and I’m one of six people elected by the wider partner group to run the business day to day in accordance with the wishes of the wider stakeholder equity partner group, as a member of our global management board. While still leading the global HR team, my role is now much more about driving strategy within the business and making sure that all of our operational systems, processes and people are aligned with that overall strategic agenda. A bit of a firefighter in chief if you like!
You joined the IoD ten years ago. Why was membership important to you?
My role had gradually evolved from reporting to the board to being on the board. Then a mentor of mine had been through the IoD programme and recommended it highly to me. I looked at it and thought it would actually be really helpful in terms of broadening my theoretical understanding of some of the concepts that we’re dealing with at board level, particularly around strategy and finance, but also around some of the marketing elements and all of the other mechanisms that make a business work. I thought it would also help give more academic and theoretical context to my everyday activities. It was a great confidence boost where my knowledge and ability to engage in the conversations in a coherent, mature and informed way was concerned.
So far you’re the only female Chartered Director in the North East. How beneficial has the training been to your career and what would you say to others considering it?
I don’t want to generalize but I think as women, we are probably more likely to suffer from imposter syndrome than some of our male counterparts. So, having the academic and professional qualifications to rely on gives me both internal confidence and external credibility. The IoD membership has also given me access to a really strong network of other female directors within the region and I’ve formed some great relationships with some of those leaders. It has been incredibly useful to have that network of people who I can go to for moral support, practical information or advice on how to handle new challenges.
Tell us about why you were awarded Chartered Director of the Year for Yorkshire and North East in 2021.
I did my Chartered Director exam and interview in 2021, which included an in-depth grilling by a panel of directors from other businesses, and I came away from it unsure if I’d passed. I later found out I had, then thought nothing more of it for another year.
Then suddenly I was called to say congratulations, you’ve won this award. It was a huge and absolutely fantastic surprise. I was delighted. I understand that it was because I performed the best of all of the Chartered Director candidates in the North East in that particular period.
My advice?
Just don’t stop learning. Seek out those challenges, push yourself outside of your comfort zone, do things that feel like mountains and try and enjoy them while you’re doing them. To find out more about IoD membership, please visit www.IoD.com or contact the local branch chair Sarah Waddington CBE at chair.nenorth@IoD.com
