Deloitte is tapping into the insights and energy of its future leaders with the creation of a Millennial Board made up of some of its most dynamic employees from across Deloitte Africa.
“We believe that a clear sense of purpose is what sets successful organisations apart and is increasingly important in shaping our organisation and its next generation of leaders. At Deloitte, we truly believe that we have translated this belief into action with the creation of the Millennial Board,” said Sihlalo Jordan, Deloitte Africa, Deputy Chief Executive.
Deloitte’s Millennial Board is a platform to engage the young professionals of Deloitte in shaping the future of the Firm and driving key aspects of its strategy. The 14-person Board is made up of a group of dynamic individuals from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania.
Deloitte is tapping into the insights, energy and expertise of the Board, which will act as a sounding board to the Deloitte Africa Deputy Chief Executive.
“These are the future leaders of our firm. Just how seriously we take their insights is reflected in the importance of the task they’ve been given, evolving the Firm’s innovation strategy,” said Jordan
Deloitte has recognised the importance of millennial views for some time. Its annual Millennial Survey is widely regarded by clients – and many in the wider business community – as the definitive global barometer of the opinions and aspirations of millennials in the workplace.
Last August, Deloitte took this quest for millennial insights a step further with the acquisition of South African youth-led innovation consultancy SpringAge. Founded in 2012 by female entrepreneurs Neliswa Fente and Raelene Rorke Clarke, the consultancy – now called SpringAge by Deloitte – finds solutions to South African issues and assists organisations to better serve their markets.
According to Clarke, “for such an initiative to succeed it needs buy-in from senior leaders and the idea of a Millennial Board quickly received enthusiastic support from the very top at Deloitte. That speaks volumes about the firm’s flexibility and openness to fresh ideas and innovation”.
Clarke said this was reflected in an impassioned message Jordan delivered to the newly constituted board.
“He gave them free rein to be open, honest and to challenge the status quo. He told them Deloitte is seeking input from enthusiastic young leaders who will make an imprint on where the organisation is going.”
Judging by the Board Vision drawn up at the meeting, it was a challenge they eagerly accepted. Apart from tackling the primary task at hand – evolving the firm’s innovation strategy – goals included making a tangible difference that will be felt by the business, leaving a legacy that will spread, scrambling the way people think, inspiring people to want to change and adapt, and making a social impact.
Jordan said he was deeply impressed “by the quality and depth of thinking in the group and by its diversity. This speaks to the quality of talent Deloitte attracts, who we are as an integrated Africa Firm and the value our people add to our clients every day”.
Encouraged by the early success of the project, Deloitte is now offering its clients the capability to tap the potential of their millennial staff members by setting up their own millennial boards or similar bodies. “For some time, we’ve factored the views of millennials into our decision making. With the creation of the Millennial Board, we’ve taken this to the next level,” Jordan said.