Karen O'Donnell
Governance & ESG Knowledge Manager - Corporate Governance
Introduction and what your role is at EQ.
I am EQ’s Governance and ESG Knowledge Manager, working specifically in EQ Shareholder Services with the RD:IR, EQ Proxy, and Company Secretarial Services business areas.
This was a newly created role when I started in May 2023, designed to develop a knowledge sharing framework across the three areas, supporting advice provided to clients. I look at current and emerging legislation, regulation, best practice, and current requirements and consolidate those into information that the teams need to be able to advise clients.
I often use this information to write articles for various EQ publications.
What office are you located at and tell us something special about this location?
I am part of the team that mainly works from home, although I do travel to the Moor Place office in London at least once a quarter.
At home, my favourite thing is my dog! I get to work with her beside me. My colleagues are also great at virtual communications. EQ provides as many opportunities to get involved with social activities virtually, as they do in person.
When in the London office I love getting to meet people face to face and continuing our virtual conversations, building on the relationships in a positive way. I do feel excited when I’m going into the office, there is a great mix of formal and informal spaces to get together with colleagues.
What’s happened in your career to this point
I’ve had a varied career and, like a lot of governance professionals I speak to, I sort of fell into it! I spent over 16 years working on the business side of the entertainment industry. Firstly, in a professional theatre company and then for a symphony orchestra. Having the ability to distil information and take a set of minutes led me down the corporate governance route!
I took this further by qualifying as a Chartered Secretary and worked in financial services and the not-for-profit sector. I loved the learning element and despite the challenges I really did enjoy qualifying. I still enjoy learning and often have courses on the go in my own time, this geeky interest in training and development couldn’t be more appropriate for my role in EQ.
What do you like about EQ
Personally, after a long term in the not-for-profit sector, I enjoy the clarity of vision, values and strategy in EQ, something I’ve not always experienced before. I do have flexibility on how I deliver my role but the clarity about the why and the commitment to clients makes it so much easier to spot things where I can add real value.
The organisation has a great commitment to developing people and I love being a part of that.
What’s your biggest EQ achievement
EQ has LinkedIn Learning access for everyone and being able to recommend courses, or part courses, to teams has been really rewarding. When I get some feedback that something has resonated, and they took something from it, that has felt like a real win! Getting to deep dive into some of those courses and link them back to the people I work with, and then getting positive feedback, has been a real personal achievement.
What you are looking forward to in the future at EQ
Despite being a year into my role, there’s still a long way to go. Doing this work, as well as looking for new ways of doing things, adding value, and learning along the way is exciting. I don’t ever want to be comfortable. As the governance landscape changes there will always be new things to look at and I will always be looking for new ways of working and sharing both of those. It’s an exciting role.
Do you have a fun fact or hobby about yourself?
I love photography and film making and a short film I made a few years ago was shortlisted for four international film festivals. I work part time at EQ, so having a bit more time to develop those creative pursuits has been great. I’m amazed that something I created has been viewed by audiences in Russia, Switzerland, and Spain, not quite Cannes, but maybe one day.
A big thank you to Karen for sharing her thoughts with us.