IB Woman
Issue No. 27 - February/March
Inspiring women supported by Deloitte
by Penelope Herbert
Deloitte has long been a supporter of women and their progression through management. An internal program runs nationally, ‘Inspiring Women’, whereby candidates participate in an intensive nomination process before qualifying for Deloitte’s special brand of mentoring and career development. The program aims to:
- Promote talented women
- Reduce the turnover of talented women
- Increase the presence of women at senior level, and
- Position Deloitte as the employer of choice for women and preferred service provider to the growing female client community
Such is the passion with which Deloitte directors support the program that an annual conference and award ceremony is held attended by top executives from the Chief Executive Officer down.
Megan Field, a principal in Deloitte Tax Services in Adelaide, has participated in the ‘Inspiring Women’ program and is also on the Partnership Program. She says the interview progress is rigorous and also the increased workload once on the program. “I didn’t think I’d fit in seven days what I needed to achieve in a working week,” she says, “but the culture of Deloitte is very supportive. I also looked at my personal and professional performances, my work ethic and what that reflected about me. It felt good so I kept on going.”
Taking maternity leave can sometimes spell the death knoll for many careers for women. Kerri Rowell, a Senior Analyst in Growth Solutions for Deloitte in Adelaide, returned to work with an eight-month-old baby and a transition back to full work capacity. She says the easiest part of the ‘Inspiring Women’ process was getting nominated.
“I had serious life balance issues as I was now a mother, a professional and a part-time student studying to become a CPA,” Kerri says, “but the culture of Deloitte is accommodating. I was working, studying, managing clients and going...
