Humans of Deloitte: Dane Hickey
Senior Manager, Global Inclusion
Could you tell us a bit about yourself, and your time at Deloitte so far? How did you end up in your current role?
Sure, happy to let you know a little more about me! My name is Dane, and my pronouns are they/them. I am a qualified Chartered Accountant and am originally from South Africa. I have been living in Ireland for over a decade now so you could say this is my second home.
Aside from the “day job” I also teach/practice yoga and manage to make time for other hobbies and interests. I believe a work/life balance is really important. My journey into Deloitte began in 2017 when I joined the Audit & Assurance service line working in the Audit Quality function. Recently I made a transition to a new role when I joined the Global Talent ALL IN team working full time on LGBT+ inclusion.
During my time at Deloitte so far, I have been fortunate to be involved in some of the many initiatives available such as leading the LGBT+ Network, volunteering through various CSR activities (including the Nurture Africa program) and participating in social sporting events. I could not have ended up in my current role without the experience I had both within my service line and through the activities and initiatives I took part in.
Is there a part of your role you particularly enjoy, or parts of your role you’ve found unexpectedly challenging?
I think the best part of my current role is that I am able to devote myself to working on something that is so personal to me but also so important globally, being LGBT+ inclusion. I never expected that I could pivot from working in Audit & Assurance (where I worked for well over a decade) to this current role and still be working within Deloitte. I think it shows that there are actually a lot of career options out there and that there is more opportunity than having to remain within one service line for your whole career.
Knowing the work that I am doing is impacting 300,000+ practitioners around the world (and beyond the walls of Deloitte) really gives me drive to continue being purpose-led in my career. This role obviously comes with many challenges, but that is just part of any career really!
"I never expected that I could pivot from working in Audit & Assurance to my current role and still be working within Deloitte. I think it shows that there are actually a lot of career options out there and that there is more opportunity than having to remain within one service line for your whole career."
What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?
Hmmm, that is a really tough one to answer! There have been so many projects over the years in my time within Audit & Assurance but I think my favourite would have to be a particular campaign that I worked on which was done completely from scratch by just myself and another colleague.
We were trying to breathe new life and enthusiasm into a critical but often overlooked aspect of Audit, and it was really challenging but also rewarding to build a whole campaign with resources, materials, media content and virtual sessions – not to mention creating the branding and communications strategy with all of this being done during the pandemic! It was so well received that we got to present on it to a global audience which was really awesome, with other countries looking to implement it locally.
What are the main skills you’ve been able to develop at Deloitte so far, and what do you want to focus on next?
I think the most important skill I have been able to develop is to learn to connect and work with individuals from across not only the Audit & Assurance practice at all levels, but also with individuals from Deloitte NSE (North & South Europe) and beyond. Another important skill that I have learned to develop is to learn to understand other people’s working styles and mannerisms (we call it Business Chemistry!) and to learn from those who might see things differently than you.
I think what I want to focus on next is developing more of a macro perspective of the global firm and to focus on areas that will allow me to keep challenging myself.
What would we typically find you doing outside of work?
Anything from teaching/practicing yoga, going for walks and coffee/brunch/dinner with friends (especially as life starts to return!) to listening to podcasts and, very importantly, binge-watching television shows when I feel like kicking back and being lazy. I have recently discovered Reformer Pilates so that is something I am having fun with as well.
What does being a ‘human being’ at work mean to you?
For me it means being seen for who you are as a person, not what you look like, what you sound like, where you are from or who you choose to love. But equally it is about being respected and embraced for all of those things which are part of your identity and shape who you are.
The past 18 months have felt tough at times. Despite that, what’s one of your favourite memories from the past year?
This is probably going to send ridiculously cheesy… but I think one of my favourite moments - or should I say series of moments - is being able to spend so much time with my partner. He is an Architect and his job is so interesting, so working from home has meant I have gotten to learn more about what he does at work. I would never have thought that at some point would we be colleagues in our home office!
What’s a little-known fact about you?
When I was growing up, I played loads of sports and was always in the water (be it in a pool or the sea). I think when people meet me now, they would never think I was competitive or an outdoorsy kind of person! Another thing people often don’t know about me is that I am a total nomad at heart and I grew up in several different countries as a child and could happily live in so many places in the world. I kind of want to live everywhere at some point!
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