How do you follow a stellar career that has taken you to the top of corporate, multinational Ireland? For Cathriona Hallahan FCCA, at least part of the answer is helping the next generation blaze their trails, too.
First, a recap on a singular career. Hailing from a working-class Dublin background and without the opportunity to go to university, Hallahan rose from accounts clerk to managing director of Microsoft Ireland over a 35-year period with the company – a progression that broke glass ceilings and neatly mirrored Ireland’s own economic transformation between the 1980s and the 2010s.
‘I always felt it was important that I was able to bring my whole self to work’
Among the many achievements she takes pride in from those years, the ones that stand out are those that brought benefits to her colleagues and the wider community. She can point to the opening of One Microsoft Place, the state-of-the-art campus in Leopardstown, Co Dublin, in 2018, which ‘brought together all the company’s Irish operations for the first time’, and the convening of the first board meeting of Microsoft there a year later, a move that ‘firmly cemented Dublin alongside Seattle and San Francisco in the top tier of company locations’.
If her career was about achievement, it was also about personal values, and Hallahan is quick to identify authenticity as a key compass point. ‘I always felt it was important that I was able to bring my whole self to work. For me, leadership is a willingness to be vulnerable, open and transparent,’ she says.
She is honest, too, in admitting that her self-image sometimes needed gentle recalibration along the way. ’Looking back, it probably did take me longer than it should have for me to get really confident in my skills as a leader,’ she says, although she appreciates that this was not necessarily obvious to those around her. ‘People didn’t see any doubts I might have had and did see me as a capable leader, and part of that was probably down to my commitment to being authentic.’
Portfolios and polytunnels
Since stepping down from the Microsoft Ireland role in 2021, Hallahan has enthusiastically embraced a new direction with a portfolio career that includes independent non-executive director (INED) roles, angel investing, and mentoring and coaching.
She is also characteristically honest in saying she may have overstretched herself, initially at least. By early 2022, she had joined the boards of three distinct and different companies: Keelings, Dalata Hotel Group and FoodCloud.
CV
2024
Chair of advisory board, Trinity Business School
2022
Joins PWC’s Public Interest Body and FoodCloud as independent non-executive director (INED)
2021
Joins boards of Keelings, Dalata and Beats Medical as INED
2009
Named Business Woman of the Year in the 02 WMB awards
1986
Joins Microsoft Ireland, rising to finance manager (1996), managing director of EMEA operations (2008) and managing director (2013)
‘Taking on three INED roles and doing the onboarding in triplicate was certainly an interesting experience,’ she recalls with a smile. ‘They were all companies I was deeply interested in and they are all passionate about people, which resonates strongly with me. To get that immersive experience in different industries and the opportunity to bring my skills and knowledge to them was deeply rewarding.’
‘I consciously took a decision to invest in the start-up sector’
A subtle rebalancing has taken place since then with a firmer emphasis on work/life balance. There’s a polytunnel in the back garden that soaks up attention, a newfound interest in bridge, and she is in the latter stages of healing an ankle injury inflicted on the tennis court.
Her 2024 appointment as chair of the advisory board of Trinity Business School, alongside investments in start-ups, are a reminder that her core passions – investment in people and in Ireland – have not dimmed. ‘One of the reasons I joined the board of Trinity Business School and why I consciously took a decision to invest in the start-up sector is my belief in investing in the future of Irish business talent,’ she says. ‘We can’t rely on the multinational sector forever and I think it is incumbent on us to encourage a start-up culture that can deliver a more balanced economy in the future.’
Be your own priority
Supporting the next generation of female business talent is also a priority and Hallahan draws naturally from a wealth of experience. ‘I had great opportunities to work with people who would see the things that I didn’t quite see in myself and pushed me to achieve more.’
It’s not all about vision and execution, however; boundary setting is also important. ‘One of the things I stress is the importance of being able to take the time out for yourself, to be comfortable with the idea of “putting your own oxygen mask on first”. The thinking among female leaders can sometimes be “I’ll take a break when the next milestone comes”. My response is that this may be longer than you think and you need to be your own priority, too.’
‘You never know the impact you can have when you take time out to talk’
Having joined PwC’s Public Interest Body in 2022, it’s clear Hallahan’s insights and perspectives remain in high demand. Yet it speaks to her character that she’s equally likely to find time for her now 26-year-old daughter’s friends in search of career advice as for any corporate body. ‘One thing that I hope can genuinely be said about me is that I really do value people. It doesn’t really matter to me what your job title is; everyone has a role to play and deserves to be heard. You never know the impact you can have when you take time out to talk.’
One distinct memory from the mid-part of her career speaks profoundly to how Hallahan values communication. ‘I had a crossroads moment when I didn’t get a promotion that I thought I fully deserved. A male colleague got the job instead.
When I finally broached my manager about why I didn’t get it, he told me: “because you never asked. Your colleague was constantly enquiring about what he needed to do, what new experiences he needed to have to get it”.’ It was a defining moment.
‘The lesson I learned was not just about being ambitious, but about not assuming that it is obvious to others. Know what you are ambitious for and articulate it.’
More information
Read the AB article on The non-linear career shift
