Claire Dunne (née Bergin) - Social Impact

"I can attest to the people culture in Deloitte being one of the strongest reasons for me to continue working with Deloitte after more than 10 years"

Summary of how you became interested in a career with Deloitte?

I first became interested in a career with Deloitte when I was applying to all of the firms in the ‘Milk Rounds’ in August/September 2007. At the time of applying it seemed to me that a lot of the firms did similar work and held similar values. Once I received notice that I had interviews for each of the firms, I decided to reach out to some friends that I knew working at Deloitte and other firms.

I had a coffee with a friend’s boyfriend who was working at Deloitte at the time. He gave me some insight into what it was like to work here, what to expect, and what the culture was like! I had heard about the people culture at Deloitte and that stood to be true when I came in for an interview. The two people who interviewed me were very friendly and welcoming and gave me a good idea of the type of people Deloitte hires and how they treat their staff. It was an easy decision from there to choose Deloitte once I received the offer! I can attest that the people culture at Deloitte is one of the strongest reasons for me to continue working with Deloitte after over a decade.

How did your degree contribute to you working with Deloitte, and what was involved in the selection process for the programme?

My degree contributed to getting my foot in the door at Deloitte. As I obtained a 2.1 in my degree, it allowed me to interview with Deloitte to join the Graduate Programme.

I applied through the online application form and submitted the necessary documentation and following that, I was called in for an interview. My interview followed a number of weeks later and I met with two people at Deloitte later that day I was lucky enough to receive a phone call from one of the Partner to offer me a place in Deloitte for September 2009 after completing a postgraduate diploma in accounting that Deloitte would sponsor.

What does your daily role involve, and what’s been one of the biggest challenges so far, and what did it teach you about yourself?

The type of work that I do every day varies as I have a variety of responsibilities that include reporting to several different directors and partners on many different agendas.

In my role as Corporate Responsibility Assistant Manager, I attend meetings with senior management about our Social Impact activities, and with their direction, I coordinate volunteering and fundraising opportunities throughout the firm while dealing with any CR queries. I manage all CR communications as well as liaise with other Deloitte firms and link in with Global CR. I help compile the annual CR Report and other reports while also providing CR material for departmental away days to showcase departmental activity in this space. This material is also used for firm-wide events including The Deloitte Difference event and various PDM conferences. We work with Business in the Community to manage our CR programme and I link in regularly with our contact in BITC.

I also helped the firm achieve the Business Working Responsibly Mark which measures all areas of the business: Governance, Marketplace, Workplace, Community, and the Environment. The Mark is audited by the NSAI, and not only gives third-party endorsement of our practices but also helps us plan for our sustainable journey. We became the first of the 4 big 4 accountancy practices to achieve this and the second professional services firm. We have also been shortlisted and nominated for a Chambers Ireland CR Award in the Excellence in International CR category.

As part of my Innovation role within the firm, I help facilitate and manage innovation workshops and training courses for our employees while trying to embed an innovative culture across the business and in doing so incentivising innovative challenges and ideas.

I am also the Chair of the Sports & Social Committee where I oversee all of the firm's S&S activities including the Summer party, Christmas party, cultural outings, and all 12 of our sports clubs and onsite fitness classes.

The biggest challenge throughout my time in Deloitte was realising that the chartered accountancy route wasn’t for me. It was a tough decision to step away from the structured and tested career path of an accountant with a pretty much-guaranteed job for life!

What’s exciting about your job?

I love interacting with different people across the business and helping to facilitate events and opportunities for everyone to get involved with. It is great to give people the chance to be able to volunteer or fundraise for a charity they are passionate about. One of the special opportunities is our volunteering programme with Nurture Africa in Uganda. Every year is it fantastic to see a long-held dream of each person to volunteer overseas.
In providing these opportunities I get to meet and build relationships with quite several charities. While it is not always possible to support all of the charitable causes, it is great when we do find a charity to work together on various initiatives.

It is great to organise workshops and space for people to be innovative and come up with inspiring new ideas! I have worked with the Innovation Academy in UCD for many Innovation events & workshops and that has been an excellent and rewarding partnership.
IMPACT Day our flagship volunteering day is one of the highlights of my year as well as our volunteering programme with Nurture Africa. Getting involved in some of the firm-wide events is always very exciting and rewarding especially when they are a big success!

What advice would you have for students and graduates seeking to pursue a similar career path?

I would encourage everyone to follow the path to their dream career even if it’s different to the way everyone else seems to be going or if it’s a difficult career path. It will be worth it in the end! Realise your dream job by carving out your own journey! 

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Name: Claire Dunne (née Bergin)

Position: Senior Manager – Social Impact & Innovation

Department: Marketing

College Attended: DCU

Course Completed: Environmental Science & Health

Post Graduate Degree Completed: Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting (2008-2009)

Joined Deloitte: September 2009