Posted: 19 Mar. 2020 3 min. read

Is it about a women-focused true mentoring process within the workspace that helps them achieve their professional aspiration?

As per statistical data, only 20 countries have women leaders at the highest position of executive power and only 5% of fortune 500 CEO’s are women.  I believe, by paying lip service to statistical data we have overlooked a fundamental element in women’s empowerment. The true power of the matter lies in the mentoring of women, harnessing the great potential abilities they possess to achieve higher corporate aspirations.

This is what I believe I have experienced at Deloitte Middle East. I joined Deloitte Middle East in 2007 as a Manager and prior to this I worked at a public accounting firm in Washington DC. This move marked a new milestone in my life as I was getting married the same year.

As a manager at Deloitte, I recall being mentored by both male and female leaders. There are many articles on women empowerment that speak about how “Women need to sponsor women and women need to invest in women”, which I believe is true but it is also important that gender diversity and equality is a part of this mentoring process. At Deloitte, each leader I worked with had a significant role to play in my life.  A few aspired me to ensure I created a work-life balance and made it possible for me to take advantage of flex time and work from home policies, others empowered me to pursue my MBA part-time at London Business School with the study leave policy available.

When I look back I believe that the transition from a Manager to Partner at Deloitte is a true example of how exceptional mentorship allows women to achieve their goals and thereafter support the global belief of women empowerment. My path has included many professional milestones, from taking on key roles in the firm to heading countries and practices. I have always been driven professionally but in parallel, I was now a mother of two young kids.

Most women get insecure about their family responsibilities as they climb the corporate ladder. However, as I progressed in my career with the mentoring I had received, it made me more confident as a wife and as a mother. My mentors made me realize that at Deloitte, our personal and professional aspirations are meshed together, they move in parallel with the support of all the policies implemented to empower women (flex or part- working arrangement for all levels of staff, extended maternity leave for first time mothers, child’s education that includes kindergarten and most importantly the co-operation from our partners to work from home, when any exceptional situation occurs at home).

Being a leader at Deloitte was a journey of true mentorship and that is what all women need. Mentorship needs to move hand in hand with women empowerment at the workplace. I believe that Deloitte allows and supports women to not only accomplish their professional aspirations but also encourages and teaches them to be leaders in all aspects of life.

Today, as I see myself in a position to implement change within the workplace. I do feel a sense of responsibility towards this ongoing cause and deep sense to give back. The journey doesn’t end with women achieving their goals but gaining from the established system and becoming the beacon themselves, touching the lives of future aspiring incumbents who will look up to your achievements and become the future of this movement.

The views and opinions expressed herein do not represent nor reflect those of Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) LLP (DME). Opinions, conclusions and other information in this blog post which have not been delivered by way of the business of Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) LLP (DME) are neither given nor endorsed by it.

About the authors

Arati Marya

Arati Marya

Partner | Audit & Assurance

Arati is an audit partner based in Deloitte’s Dubai (UAE) office leading the Regional IT Specialist team. She has had over 16 years of extensive audit and advisory experience within diversified industries with a concentration on Business Process analysis, Application testing, Functionality reviews, General Controls testing, Security, Sarbanes Oxley, third party reviews and internal practice reviews for various financial institutions such as banks and brokerage companies. She has led several significant engagements performing IT assurance reviews over complex IT environments in various industries including oil and gas, manufacturing as well as financial institutions. Arati also leads the Audit Analytics team for the Middle East and has authored articles in Deloitte’s Middle East Point of View publication on the future of analytics in audit. She has been invited to speak at various industry conferences on Analytics, Big Data and AI. Qualifications Masters. in Business Administration – London Business School, UK PeopleSoft Certification Institute of Internal Auditors Member ISACA Member and Presenter SEC accredited