Q&A Pride 2023
Celebrating our PROUD colleagues – all year round
Pride happens once a year at different times around the world. But, true to Deloitte’s Shared Values, we want our LGBTQIA+ colleagues to always feel seen, valued and included. That’s why at Deloitte, we talk and care about LGBTQIA+ inclusion year-round and not just in June, during Pride month.
We sat down with three colleagues from Deloitte’s LGBTQIA+ employee network PROUD, Tobias, Gian Marco and Tristan, and discussed how they want to continue the drive to bring about positive, structural, and systemic change. And why, as the next generation of PROUD, they want to make an impact that matters.
Tell our readers a little bit about yourself?
Tristan: I am a Management Consultant in the Program Leadership team within Enterprise Technology and Performance. With my background in business informatics, I am building the bridge between IT and big business transformation projects as a Project Management Officer by using state of the project management methodologies. I joined Deloitte in September 2022 and became a member of the Deloitte Proud network in January this year.
Gian Marco: Currently, I am Manager in our Consulting service line and part of the Marketing, Commerce and Design team. Last year I moved from Italy to work for Deloitte here in Switzerland. My passion is building true human relationships within my teams, within Deloitte and especially with our clients, where cooperation, trust and integrity are crucial to success.
Tobias: I am a Manager in Cloud Engineering within Business Operations and joined Deloitte last year. Originally, I am from Germany and moved here from Berlin, where I also worked in Consulting. I enjoy working in international teams and perceive Deloitte in Zurich as one of the best places to do this.
Before joining Deloitte, was it important to you that Deloitte has an inclusive work culture?
Gian Marco: For me, this is a definite yes! Previously, I had yet to experience an employer’s awareness around Diversity and Inclusion. Before joining, I researched online what Deloitte had to offer in the Diversity and Inclusion space, as it was vital for me to understand the culture and values of Deloitte. Sharing the stories of employees is a good indicator of how our people are valued, respected and heard.
Tristan: A definite yes, from me as well, especially as Deloitte is a global employer. At my previous employer, we didn’t have such Diversity & Inclusion initiatives. Through my friends who also work for Deloitte, I heard about the Deloitte Proud Network. And I learned that it was already highly active and established, which made Deloitte as an employer even more attractive to me.
Tobias: Yes! I had previously joined similar company networks which help foster an inclusive work culture and I was glad to hear about the Deloitte Proud network. The external messaging around the Proud network’s activities, advocacy and especially the recruiting events positively impacted my decision to join Deloitte.
Tobias, a Manager in Consulting and PROUD member
The Deloitte PROUD network was established in 2017 to keep the spotlight on LGBTQIA+ inclusion. A lot has been achieved since, and still is to be done. Why did you decide to take on an active role within the Proud network?
Tobias: I remember a statement in a panel discussion hosted by Deloitte PROUD in Zurich, “to be the best version of yourself, you need to be your true self”. During the first months of my professional experience, I hesitated to talk about my “true self” – especially in conversations about my private life. Over time I learned to always act as the person I am – this helped me perform at my best in any situation. Networks such as Deloitte Proud provide a safe space to share experiences. This allows others to be their “true self” - and as one of the active network members, I want to be part of their success stories.
Gian Marco: I decided to join because I believe that true diversity and especially inclusion can be achieved if everyone is aware of and knows what inclusive behaviour looks like. I would like to educate and inspire my team beyond the network and people around Deloitte through awareness campaigns, knowledge sharing, and engaging events where everyone can join in, learn, share ideas and take an active part.
Tristan: I am a diversity and inclusion ambassador within Consulting in Switzerland. This was the first community I joined. For me, the Diversity and Inclusion network is the umbrella network within Consulting. So, I also act as a bridge from that community to the firm-wide PROUD network, where I can exchange ideas and create initiatives with colleagues from other service lines such as Audit, Tax & Legal, Financial Advisory and others. When I report back to the Diversity & Inclusion network within Consulting, they hear about our fantastic initiatives – and this knowledge sharing creates an even more significant impact.
Read article: Introducing PROUD: Our LGBTQIA+ community of employees and allies
Tristan, a Consultant in Consulting and PROUD member
Deloitte’s motto is #QueerAllYear. So, when the confetti is swept up and the flags put away after Pride month, how do we keep up the momentum all year round?
Tobias: Through collaboration, networking and knowledge exchange. We like to network with other companies, so we participate in external events such as the Inter Alliance Switzerland events. These events take place all year round. We also take part in external career events, where people can approach us and talk to us, find out what it is like to work at Deloitte and learn how everyone has the opportunity to grow by being their best selves. And we offer our own Deloitte career nights for graduates and junior professionals, where everyone is invited to join and experience our inclusive and open culture first-hand.
Tristan: During our on-boarding process, in my role as Diversity and Inclusion ambassador, I run a session on how Deloitte fosters an inclusive culture. We invite all our new hires to join in as we want to empower individuality, spread cultural awareness, create a safe space to have courageous conversations and inspire allyship and advocacy. And we encourage our people to join our various Deloitte employee networks as active members and allies, where they can create impact and contribute to the success of our high-performing culture.
Gian Marco: Our inclusive leadership values contribute to shaping our culture. The tone is set at the top, and as leaders we role-model inclusivity. Diversity and inclusion standards are addressed, explored and discussed during our regular performance reviews. One can even say that there is a tangible KPI around inclusive behaviors. I regularly experience how this positively impacts our culture. We stand for equity and want all employees to feel respected, valued and celebrated.
Gian Marco, a Manager in Consulting and PROUD member
What do you envision for the future – what is the dream?
Tobias: My vision is that the world becomes a place where everyone feels belonging, where everyone expresses themselves, whichever way they choose to, where everyone is accepted for who they are and valued for their talents.
Tristan: Courageous conversations should be the norm and I have ambitious goals around parental equity. I envision that we would not need specific employee networks and that every human being in all their facets is respected, valued and appreciated.
Gian Marco: The dream would be living in a world where our Proud network does not exist, because who we are is considered mainstream, no awareness campaigns are launched and advocating for LGBTQIA+ inclusivity is not necessary anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I greatly enjoy our network activities– but this would be my ideal world!