International Women’s Day 2023

What is your biggest professional achievement to date?

Zeyno: I am a Senior Manager within our Tax & Legal practice and a part-time working mum. For me, all projects are important, no matter how big or small they are. Which is why I count all occasions, when the client was happy with our services, as an achievement. However, I genuinely believe that people will not remember the work you did, but rather remember how you made them feel. Therefore, good service is for me not only delivering a project on time, but also about building close and trustworthy relationships. If the client trusts you and feels good when they think about you, that’s a big achievement.

Inji: I am a Senior Manager in the Deal Strategy and Operations team and have over 15 years’ experience focusing on transactions. I'm lucky that a day in my team at Deloitte gives me the opportunity to pack my day with achievements, both big and small. Today, I helped a client wriggle out of a tricky situation, brainstormed ideas to increase team engagement and supported the soft launch of an initiative to encourage more female inclusion. Best of all, though, was coming home to watch my two-year old daughter sing and jump delightedly to “Baby shark” without missing a step or beat! I’m sure I can claim that one as my own achievement, right?

Surbhi: I am a Manager at Deloitte Switzerland in the AI & Data team. Generating actionable insights based on the vast amounts of data being generated, is the key concern for the clients. Enabling clients to leverage the power of data to drive better decision-making with data visualisations, best describes what I do. One of my major highlights and achievements has been the opportunity to help Non-Profit institutions such as the United Nations, WHO and TGF, in their data analytics journey. Being passionate about diversity and inclusion, I have been part of initiatives to advance gender equity in Deloitte Switzerland, focusing on working parents and eliminating unconscious bias.

Deepal: I joined Deloitte 20 years ago first in London and now in Zurich. I’m proud to have grown up in the role to now be the Finance Director of a fantastic and very energised controlling team close to 30 people (half locally and half offshore). I am a mother of two tenacious children who are only eight and six (can’t wait to see what the teenage years will bring!). Last but not least, I am of Indian origin, born in England and married to my amazing Italian husband. Family and food are my centre and joy and keep me positive and push me to be a better version of myself.

Lena: I started as a junior fresh from university and have advanced my whole career at Deloitte in Zurich. I have become an expert in complex accounting, accounting operations and capital markets. Today, I have two kids and, luckily, can structure my day in a flexible way. My mission is to make a positive impact for my clients, and this includes tackling challenges on a daily base.

How do you deal with a difficult situation successfully?

Inji: When life throws a curveball at me, as simple as it may sound, I first make a cup of coffee and then a plan on how to best deal with it. My career at Deloitte has taught me how to be resilient and more importantly, given me the breadth of experience to know when to deal with things head-on and when to let things go – “saving energy for the stuff that really matters” as they say. I try (with some success) to make time every day for a ‘healthy thing’ I enjoy - like going for a run or doing a Pilates class and when I can’t I just go about my day and hope my Fitbit will zing at 10,000 steps!

Surbhi: I firmly believe that my value system has acted like a compass over the years to guide me in difficult situations. Values such as respect, empathy, humility and resilience have always been important to me and have helped me by providing the larger perspective and finding the right solutions.

Challenges come with the opportunity to evolve. I try to process the problem while remaining calm, gaining perspective and building clarity. Breaking the complex overwhelming tasks into smaller manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one, helps me get started and get ahead. I also find people who can help me and solicit their advice. At Deloitte, there is no lack of people who have been through the same challenges we face. We need to listen to those who have been where we want to go, as we can learn from their experiences.

Lena: My "getting things done" attitude alone doesn't solve complex issues. I realized this once more when I was recently confronted with one of my most significant professional challenges; the client involved me in finalizing a project which was overdue for more than one year. It included every complex accounting and technology topic you could think of in a company, and hence it was postponed repeatedly - until I got called in. I had no choice but to tackle it head-on. It was so complex and complicated that to understand how to design the right solution for the client I had to read the theory four times until I understood it correctly. Not giving up and showing commitment helped me to bring the project to an end, delivered with high quality and to the client's satisfaction. And by completing my work to a high-quality standard, I was also able to identify inefficiencies and implement the right processes at the same time. In the future, this client will not only have the end product delivered in high quality but also through an efficient process - and on time at financial year-end closing.

So yes, I go nuts occasionally, but it only lasts for a short time if I breathe deeply, focus and structure the solution in milestones in my head. A bit of "not giving up" and "I can do this", has let me succeed since day one.

Working with various clients and balancing work and a family surely is challenging. How do you rise to the occasion?

Deepal: During my time at Deloitte, I have had fantastic opportunities to grow and develop, and move countries! Along the way, it’s always been the people above, around, and below who have inspired, cared, and made the job a continuous learning opportunity and most of all fun! Long story short, it’s the people you surround yourself with that help you rise to these occasions, and this in turn brings them up with you along the journey.

Zeyno: It wouldn’t be fair to claim all the success just for myself. I wouldn’t have achieved anything without the constant and hard work of my great my team. For me, our biggest asset is our people. If they are happy and feel appreciated, they will do a great job, resulting in satisfied clients. Being also a part-time working mum brings some challenges. A female Harvard professor was asked once what could men do to support their women to have successful careers. Her response was simply: the laundry. I am lucky to have a husband who does the laundry, takes care of the kids and helps with the household, which is unfortunately still not that common today. In essence, I am where I am today due to the support of my team, who do a great job every day, my leaders, who motivate me every day and my husband, who strengthens my back.

Stay tuned for more stories of how our people are growing and making their mark at Deloitte, with clients and society!