An interview about what it's like to be a woman at Deloitte with Deepal Olivieri

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your career path at Deloitte.

My name is Deepal Olivieri. I’m the Finance Director of the Controlling team here in Zurich.

One thing you may not know about me is that my awesome children (of five and seven) have inspired (and encouraged) me to overcome my fear of skiing. They make it look so easy!

2. How do you believe Deloitte supports women and helps you make an impact?

It’s the little things that matter, that happen every day:

• Being heard – the CEO calling you up one day for a coffee, to hear more of your views after you’ve asked him challenging questions in a previous meeting.
• Being supported – the COO stepping in for me and supporting my team leader while I was on maternity leave (twice) and making my return-to-work transition as “easy” as possible.
• Being mentored – being encouraged to go for promotions/opportunities, when you think you’re not ready, but in fact you really are!

3. Tell us about any learning and development opportunities you’ve experienced at Deloitte.

My journey to Switzerland started as a development opportunity when I initially came on secondment as a manager. This opportunity enabled me to build upon what I had learnt in London, but with a wider scope across all the businesses. At the time, the Swiss Firm was growing at a rapid rate, which made it challenging and exciting at the same time – and I loved it! I grew in experience and maturity and was promoted. Even though I went back to London, I decided Switzerland had more opportunities and was the place for me. So, I moved back on a permanent basis.

4. What do you think Deloitte does well to support diversity and inclusion?

Deloitte has Diversity & Inclusion Champions within each Business who are champions for building an inclusive culture. We have networks to connect those passionate about different diversity topics. Deloitte also provides independent and impartial support from an external provider for staff to speak up. All Partners have mandatory Inclusion Activation training and are set tangible targets to supports the cause, to name a few!

5. What advice would you give to the women of the future/women who are looking to join Deloitte?

Deloitte offers fantastic opportunities for you to grow, and not just for what you think you need today, but for the tomorrow you hadn’t even imagined. When I joined Deloitte in London, I would never have imagined my career would lead me to move to Switzerland. Deloitte in Switzerland is where change and growth is embraced. Every one of us can influence and shape our culture and build a legacy for the next generation of ambitious women.