Yoko Oshima is Associate General Counsel of Corporate, External and Legal Affairs at Microsoft Japan. In this inspiring episode that spans continents, cultures, and cutting-edge technology, Yoko's journey is a masterclass in authentic leadership, purposeful career building, embracing opportunity and seeking support. Yoko shares powerful insights on adaptive leadership, the importance of being true to your values, and why seeking support is actually a sign of strength, not vulnerability.

Whether you're navigating cultural shifts in your career, looking to embrace emerging technology, or seeking to lead with authenticity, Yoko's wisdom will resonate long after the episode ends.

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In this episode you’ll hear:

• How she overcame the cultural shift from being "blessed with opportunities" in Japan to proactively raising her hand in competitive New York law firms

• Why she turned down a permanent leadership role twice, and the crucial lesson this taught her about embracing opportunity

• The innovative approach to helping legal teams adopt AI and why AI is like training a new associate

• Her favourite books and other fun facts

About Yoko

Yoko is Associate General Counsel of Microsoft and leads its Corporate, External Affairs in Japan. Before joining Microsoft in May 2021. she was with General Electric and her last role before the departure was the general counsel of GE Japan and GE Digital Asia.

Before going in-house, she was in private practice, with Anderson Mori in Tokyo (first half) and Clearly Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton LLP in New York (second half).

She is qualified in Japan and the State of New York, USA.

She has an LLB from Hitotsubashi University, a Master of Law from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Law and Politics and an LLM from Harvard Law School.

Committed to diversity and inclusion and the social impact, she is a board member of Lawyers for LGBT and Allies Network in Japan and a statutory auditor of Earth Company.

She recharges through art, music, nature and family and friends.

Connect with Yoko

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoko-oshima-36a7396/

Links

Adaptive Leadership: https://hbr.org/2020/09/5-principles-to-guide-adaptive-leadership

Tools and Weapons, Brad Smith: https://news.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/tools-and-weapons/

The Culture Map, Erin Meyers: https://erinmeyer.com/books/the-culture-map/

Connect with Catherine

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair