Hilary Callaghan:

Finding success before graduation

“You rarely see young women on boards. Even more rare are young women with disabilities, queer, or any of that intersection on boards. And the further you get away from those causes, you see it even less.” - Hilary Callaghan

Hilary Callaghan had some spare time. But she wasn’t sure what to fill it with. Coaching? Mentoring? Plenty of options, but none that felt right. 

She had been interested in pursuing a board role because she knew she had valuable skills to share. Her people and talent skills were strong thanks to her work in HR, and she’d received positive feedback about her ability to think differently and get seemingly impossible things done.

Armed with this confidence, Hilary decided to pursue the role in advocating for greater board diversity, especially proper representation of LGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities. Hilary wanted to see people like her, and people unlike her. 

But we all know diversity is not something most boards are well known for and she was uncertain how to get things started. 

Then Hilary found our Board Ready Program. 

That’d be interesting, she thought. So she signed up. She had some time, right? What was there to lose?

Hilary came into the program with a long term plan. The board would be in 5 or 10 years. However, on starting the program, she immediately began putting the knowledge she gained to work.

Out of curiosity, she was keeping an eye out for available roles. One role came up with the board of Disability Justice Australia (DJA), an organisation that provides advocacy support to people who have needs relating to disabilities. 

Instead of waiting to get all the tips, Hilary applied for the role during the program. She was pleasantly surprised when the call came through to interview with the board. 

After completing interviews, Hilary was offered a board role with DJA.

That’s right. With no previous board experience, no previous board qualifications, no ‘in’ with anyone. Just a desire to change things, and the courage to make it happen.

And if that wasn’t enough, in Hilary’s fourth board meeting, she was asked to be Chair. She accepted and the DJA Board hasn’t looked back.

Hilary’s pathway to the boardroom has not been typical. She didn’t finish high school, hadn’t been to university, and had considerable learning difficulties to face.

Yet here Hilary is, chairing a board and acting as an advocate for people with disabilities – people whose voices are so rarely heard. 

“My experience with the FDI program is not only getting the information you need, but the genuine connection and ongoing support. It’s really authentic. Other places, it feels like you’re spat out afterwards without any real connection. You’re left to your own devices. The Board Ready Program is not like that at all.” - Hilary Callaghan

We’re so proud to have Hilary as part of the FDI community. She’s proof that you don’t need decades worth of experience to make a big impact at the board level. 

If you’ve been daydreaming about a board career but think you’re too [insert your excuse here], take this as a sign to just go for it. Contact us today to find out about the next program intake.

Do you want to join the community that celebrates all stripes, not just pinstripes? Try out the FDI Member platform for 30 days – free.