104. Want to become a board director? Part 1 interview with Moana Weir.
Oct 18, 2021
Moana Weir has over 20 years of executive experience, working for large listed corporations such as Bupa, SEEK (seek.com.au), REA (realestate.com.au), and Melbourne IT. A lawyer by trade, Moana worked in various roles, including Legal, Governance and Company Secretarial, Regulatory, Risk, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability.
About ten years ago, Moana started building her experience as a Non-Executive Director in the not-for-profit, government, and community sectors. She is currently Chair of the Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Victoria (VEOHRC) and a member of the People and Culture Committee at Movember, the leading charity changing the face of men's health globally. She has also previously been a director on the Board of VLine, a government-owned corporation that operates regional train and coach services in Victoria, Australia.
I invited Moana to speak about building a portfolio of board appointments from her perspective. This podcast episode is a treat to any executive willing to now or in the future transition into governance roles. Not only did she describe how she did it, but Moana was also great at expanding on other opportunities for executives with different skills and experience from her own.
I split our chat into two episodes: this first one (104) focuses on the board roles: how to start and build them. The second episode (105) will be released next week and focuses on her role as Chair of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.
Podcast Episode Timestamps:
- 04:07 - Moana's career journey
- 09:56 - What are Moana's strengths that helped her career growth?
- 14:14 - The importance of taking breaks.
- 19:16 - How did Moana start her board portfolio?
- 23:52 - How to build a board portfolio
- 25:52 - Due diligence process
- 27:29 - Moana as a director
- 30:04 - What are the typical avenues to being an executive director?
- 31:52 - Should you be at C-level before joining a board?
- 34:19 - Should you start with not-for-profit first?
Links mentioned in this episode:
- The Job Hunting Podcast episode 31. Me Inc.
- The Job Hunting Podcast episode 78. Portfolio career: What is it, and is it for you?
- The Job Hunting Podcast episode 56. How to start your board director career.
- The Job Hunting Podcast episode 103. How to make successful career transitions.
- Click here to download the transcript of this episode on our new blog.
About our guest, Moana Weir:
Moana has over 20 years of Executive experience, leading strategic business and cultural transformation: in the healthcare and health insurance industry with Bupa, including as Acting MD for the Bupa Dental business and as Acting Corporate Affairs Director. Before this, she had Executive experience in listed, international online companies at SEEK (seek.com.au), REA (realestate.com.au), and Melbourne IT leading areas including Legal, Governance, and Company Secretarial, Regulatory, Risk, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability.
Moana also has deep experience for over ten years as a Non-Executive Director in the not-for-profit government and community sector. She is currently Chair of the Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Victoria (VEOHRC) and a member of the People and Culture Committee at Movember, the leading charity changing the face of men's health globally. She has also previously been a director on the Board of VLine and a director of the Melbourne Montessori School Board. Click here to see Moana Weir's LinkedIn Profile.
