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Meet Maria Fidler

Data & AI Senior Consultant

Meet Maria, a New York-based Senior Consultant in our Data & AI team who recently transferred from our Sydney office all the way across the globe to the US – a huge tick off her bucket list!

So, tell us about a day in the life … 

As cliché as it sounds, I don’t think any day is quite the same in our field! I’ve gone from running client workshops, to building visualisation dashboards, to moderating firm-wide panels – all within the one day!

In short – my day is often a fun mix of technical work and client interactions; and honestly, that is how I’d best describe my skillset. In the Data & AI team we have this great concept called ‘Purple People’ (stick with me on this one…), which is essentially what we use to describe individuals who can blend and leverage their technical skills with their ability to distil often difficult concepts to our clients in the most simple, informative and impactful way possible. 

I love that my role enables me to do this, and I especially love that I’m able to build strong client relationships by instilling trust and understanding of complex, but exciting, concepts such as AI.

Deloitte has been the best place I could have possibly launched my career, and an even better place to continue growing it. I’ve found opportunities here that I don’t think I would have elsewhere. 

I’ve been supported to pursue postgraduate study to further my technical skills; trusted with the national lead role of Deloitte’s #WIC (Women in Consulting) Network; and most recently, encouraged and assisted in realising my career goal of working in the U.S.

It’s an excellent place for anyone who wants to grow their career – whether you’re just starting out, or already a seasoned professional.

I love my job because it is innovative, exciting, and impactful. When your work directly informs the decisions made by the APAC Chairman of a global pharmaceutical company, that’s a pretty big deal. 

When you can influence one-in-four consultants across the Australian practice to think about and support female professional development, you feel a strong sense of pride. Indeed, all the client projects we work on have a high level of impact on the organisations that shape our local and global economy. 

It’s sometimes hard to see the bigger picture when you’re moving around icons on a slide or fine-tuning a paragraph in a 100-page report, but everything we do here holds weight and carries value. 

That’s why I love my job.

One word – opportunity. Opportunity to grow yourself, both in your career and as a person. 

Opportunity to build strong and lasting relationships and positively influence the course of some of our biggest clients. 

Opportunity to make a difference in the areas you’re most passionate about – whether that’s something like female professional development in my case, or anything else you may feel strongly about. Get excited by all the choices and opportunities Deloitte has to offer!

Speaking of opportunities – one such opportunity that I’ve recently had has been to transfer with Deloitte to the U.S. member firm. This was a huge goal of mine since before I started as a graduate 3.5 years ago, so to be able to realise it with the strong and unwavering support of the Data & AI team leadership was a dream come true. 

Since starting in Deloitte’s NYC office in June 2022, I’ve been able to experience all that this city has to offer – from the vibrant night life to the cool Deloitte office in 30 Rock (although, if I may… I don’t think anything can beat the view we have in Sydney!) to meeting some very interesting people! 

The work has been great too, and I’m back to the travelling consultant life on my current project that’s based in Dallas. It’s been an incredibly exciting transition for me, and the fact that Deloitte not only offers, but supports these sorts of opportunities which really showcases what a diverse global company we are. 

  • Coffee order? - Cappuccino (although, the coffee is awful here in America, I’ve nearly come off it!
  • TV series recommendation? -  The WireFavourite movie? -  Private Benjamin
  • Favourite sports team? - McLaren (not doing so good this year...)
  • Book recommendation? -  American Gods by Neil Gaiman 

To meet more of our team, please visit our Humans of Strategy and AI home page.

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