American Anna Catalano served as President, Amoco Orient Oil Company in Beijing, China, 1995 - 1996, where she successfully transacted Amoco's first downstream joint venture. From 1999 - 2003, Anna served as Group Vice President, Marketing for BP plc in London. During this time, Anna was recognized on Fortune's ranking of "The Most Powerful Women in International Business" in 2001. At the close of 2003, Ms. Catalano left BP to pursue new career interests. She currently manages an active board portfolio, serving on the Boards of Directors of SSL International, plc, Hercules Incorporated, and Willis Group Holdings. She serves as a member of the Strategy and Marketing Advisory Board of BT Global Services, as well as the Advisory Board of Amyris Biotechnologies. Ms. Catalano is also a board member of the Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Anna received a B.S degree in Business Administration in 1982 from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She and her husband Joel have two children, ages 15 and 13. The family now resides at their home in Texas.
ExpatWomen's Interview with Anna
ExpatWomen:Anna, congratulations on your impressive array of career achievements. To what do you accredit your success to date?
Anna:Thanks...you're far too kind. There are probably three things (other than luck!) that I can point to that have made a difference in my career. The first was the willingness to work hard and go through jobs that didn't seem "glamorous" at the time. I took a number of laterals during a time in which others were getting promotions. Initially I couldn't understand why, but in hindsight, those jobs proved instrumental in broadening my experience. The second factor was insisting on going through positions that had P&L experience. It would have been easy for someone of my background to stay in a functional marketing role. It's too important to have managed in a line position to be considered for top level jobs or boards. The final ingredient was a supportive family. My parents and sisters provided a strong foundation on which I built my sense of self and confidence, but most importantly, my wonderful husband and kids, without whom I would never have been able to juggle all the different priorities in my life.
ExpatWomen:To what extent did your expat assignments assist in your career progression?
Anna: Tremendously! It put me on a different trajectory than many of my colleagues, and changed the game in terms of opportunities going forward. An expat assignment broadens your horizons both professionally and personally. It taught me how to deal with different cultures, under different written and unwritten rules. Going for the position in Beijing opened my eyes and probably took me the closest than I've ever been to running my own company. Opening a new office in the PRC, I learned how to manage a team of nationals as well as expats, and it was exciting and challenging. Expats are forced to "think on their feet" especially if the assignment is in a developing country. It's totally different than being a tourist, or being a professional who travels abroad for meetings! The London experience was phenomenal.....as a center of the financial world, it provided an opportunity that clearly helped me build my experience base, and I'm certain it made me a more attractive board candidate.
ExpatWomen:Anna, you are one of the very few women pursuing a career out of Board involvement. What attracted you to this career path and how much time does each Board commitment entail?
Anna: I considered returning to a full-time corporate role after leaving BP, but as I interviewed for those jobs, I realized I was looking for something different. At the time, I had some personal issues to deal with - ageing parents who were both becoming more physically frail - and I wanted to spend some time with them as I had lived away for so many years. I was approached to join one board and enjoyed it so much that I decided to build a portfolio. The thing I enjoy most about this path is that it keeps me engaged at a very senior strategic level, which I love. It also provides flexibility in my schedule that I need at this stage in my life. The time each board takes really depends on the things that are going on in a company at any time. If a company is looking at a significant commercial deal, or is in the midst of a turnaround, it can take a tremendous amount of time - as it should! Most of the time, meetings are held between 4 and 6 times a year, with each board (including committee meetings) taking about 2 days around planned meetings. There is also the occasional teleconference for decisions that need to be made between scheduled board meetings.
ExpatWomen:In terms of your Board involvement, you currently juggle Board duties for a global insurance broker, a consumer products company - whose main products are condoms and footcare/footware products, a chemical company, a finance company, a biotechnology company and a diabetes foundation. How did you end up on these specific Boards?
Anna: All of the public boards on which I serve were presented to me by executive search firms. The qualities they were looking for that I had were global experience (especially China) and a strong marketing background - two things that many boards lack. I purposely sought to build a portfolio that was varied with regard to industries, as that is one of the things about this work that I enjoy the most. As far as the biotech and not-for-profit boards are concerned, those were through word-of-mouth from people who I knew during my past career. I really enjoy the variety of industries, although am always struck by how similar all business enterprises are in terms of their challenges and opportunities!
ExpatWomen:Is the path of Board involvement something that you would recommend to other women?
Anna: I think that board involvement is wonderful for people who are interested in helping others create success. It's not for you if you still feel as though you want to do something on your own - build a business, or achieve a level of personal wealth. For those goals, you should stay on the full-time executive track a little longer! I'd recommend it if you are at the stage in your professional career when you feel as though you have experience to leverage across different industries, and truly enjoy working at the strategic, rather than operational, level. The individuals you meet are phenomenal, and will continue to help you grow your understanding of business and leadership.
ExpatWomen:What would be your Top 5 Tips for women who want to become Board members?
Anna: Based on my experience, here are some tips:
1.
Find a good first board - don't worry about "pedigree", but find something that feels good based on the industry and the people you meet. Make sure it's a board you can contribute to, and not one that's just looking for a woman (there are many of those out there!) Depending on the level you achieved as an executive, you may/may not be qualified to serve on some boards you wish you could at first. Don't fret about it...you can still enjoy a small board as much as those who sit on Fortune 50 companies - without many of the headaches!
2.
Know where you can add value, and stay current on that topic. If you're a marketing person, stay up on the latest and greatest in brand development and changes in how companies reach consumers. There's nothing worse than a board member who's stale! Remember - you're being looked at as an expert at the table. Keep earning that role!
3.
Network, network, network. Your value as a board member or prospective member is dependent on your relationships and connections. You can never know too many people or have access to too many conversations. This will also give you the ability to help put other women on boards in the future!
4.
Learn about the business. Before the interview, do your due diligence so that you can have a meaningful conversation. If you become a board member, invest some time in the company and get to know what makes it tick. You don't want to be a board member that just shows up and takes a seat at the table!
5.
Enjoy it! You're about to enter a wonderful chapter in your professional career. It's a great opportunity to continue to contribute without being a full-time executive. You'll find the company you keep is fabulous and you'll continue to feel like you're learning and growing!
ExpatWomen:Anna, we thank you sincerely for your time and we wish you all the very best for all of the Boards on which you serve.
Anna: Thanks so much.....this is a great site, and I've enjoyed contributing!
