Deloitte Tax Analytics

A cross-cultural journey is how Sara Javadzadeh describes her career at Deloitte. While finishing her thesis, she interned with Deloitte Netherlands. Then, she completed her studies in the US, moved to Belgium with her new husband, and ten years ago joined Deloitte Belgium’s tax practice on the recommendation of some university friends. Tax is where Sara started, and after three years, she moved into Global Employer Services (GES), where she worked her way up to manager on the Global Mobility Compensation (GMC) team over the last seven years.

"Anything related to compensation management for the mobility teams handling our clients' expat populations is part of my job," says Sara. "That involves working with a lot of data, and analytics is part of my day-to-day work." Data is, in fact, at the core of GMC, and teams work with robotics and other technologies to slice, dice, and analyze vast volumes of data. "Looking at data and finding ways that clients can improve efficiencies and costs and then linking that data to their business strategies can be very powerful," says Sara. “It’s important for me to deliver work that is meaningful to my clients. It’s one way I make an impact that matters.”

It is also important for Sara to work for an organization that is committed to making a positive impact on the people it employs and the countries and communities where it operates. "I fit here. Deloitte Belgium is an open, diverse, and international culture, and I have the flexibility to design my work day," says Sara. "I have two children and can confirm that you can have a family and grow in your career at Deloitte.”

Multinational clients deploy employees around the globe, so understanding tax laws in different countries and working cross-borders are business as usual for GMC professionals. Every day, Sara connects and collaborates with colleagues and clients in other countries. "People on my team come from different cultures and backgrounds, and serve clients as one team," Sara says. New ideas and innovations are always welcomed and sharing knowledge and best practices to better serve clients and improve the way work is done is encouraged. "If I find a way to improve a process on an engagement and think it could work on another project, for example, the team will discuss it, and if the benefits to the client are there, we'll implement the idea,” says Sara. “Ideas don’t need to be big. Small adjustments like moving to e-signatures on deliverables to eliminate printing will save paper and time and can make a big impact.”

Traveling for training, team projects, conferences, and client meetings has given Sara the opportunity to connect with colleagues face-to-face and see first-hand the impact Deloitte makes globally. For her, two of the best examples of this are Deloitte's Hyderabad, India office and Deloitte Belgium's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. In Hyderabad, thousands of people travel by buses supplied by the organization to and from work every day. Deloitte Belgium has relocated its office nearer the airport and public transportation and has broadened its employee transportation packages beyond offering a company car to include first-class train passes, bicycles, or electric bikes. “When I see how Deloitte positively impacts people and places," says Sara, "it reinforces my personal values and commitment to do the right thing, give my all, and build my career here."