Celebrating Deloitte Founders' Day | Happy 10th birthday Wuhan office

23 April - Deloitte Founders' Day

In 1845, when William Welch Deloitte, our founder, decided, at the age of just 27, to create his own accounting firm in London, he recognized that the boundaries of his time were there to be broken. The first entry in the ledger of this new firm was made on 23 April, 1845. This is why 23 April is designated as Founders’ Day, when we acknowledge our past and look to our future as we continue making an impact that matters to our clients, talent and society.  

In the intervening 175 years, William Welch Deloitte's inspiration has been matched by Deloitte boundary breakers of every gender, every background, and every area of expertise.

A rose is not just a rose. A rose shows you care.

Despite the “touch of austerity” in his manner, Deloitte founder William Welch Deloitte was a fastidious dresser, known for wearing a flower in his buttonhole every day, year-round. “His gardener must have had some trouble to meet this daily demand,” his nephew and Deloitte clerk Edward Allbeury said. Today, a South African rose bears the name “Deloitte & Touche.”

Shared values through shared endeavor – Taking Care of Each Other

In the last few months, the world has dealt with COVID-19, which has taught us that all our futures are intertwined. National and cultural differences are no match for the power of a global pandemic, and we must address the global challenges we face together, or fail to address them alone. In these challenging times, one Deloitte Shared Value – Taking Care of Each Other – has never had greater resonance. 

Since the virus outbreak, through our collective endeavor, we have shown our care for those at the frontline of the COVID-19 battle through charitable efforts, our resilience amid immense challenges by maintaining our professionalism and providing strong support to clients, and our care for each other through working together to navigate uncertainty and prepare for the recovery to come.

The reopening of our Wuhan office on 1 April is another example of how we have committed to the shared value of "Taking Care of Each Other". We salute our talent in Wuhan for holding their ground over such a difficult 69 days, and congratulate them as the office approaches its 10th anniversary. Happy 10th birthday, Wuhan office!