Tell us about a time when you took a risk to create innovation in the identity field, and how did it pay off?
I am Esther, a Partner in the Cyber Risk Advisory practice at Deloitte Canada.
I joined Deloitte a few months before the pandemic after spending over 20 years at another large technology services provider. The main reasons for my move were Deloitte's focus on the cyber consulting area, and the firm's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
What especially attracted me was the very specific commitment from the Canadian executive team that the firm would represent the diversity make-up of the Canadian population.
I first heard of Digital Identity soon after I joined Deloitte, and showed my interest in the topic to the executive team. I was made aware of the opportunities in this space following a market sounding about a Pan Canadian Digital Identity platform.
This struck a chord with both myself and Deloitte. Upon my return from a weeks’ vacation, I was given the opportunity by the executive team to lead and set up a practice in the area of Digital Identity. That was an early Christmas present for me in December 2020.
At Deloitte, we saw the potential for Digital Identity in providing access to public and private sector services. I was surprised to learn that this could potentially contribute as much as 2-3% of Canada's GDP when fully developed across the country.
However, there were risks involved given this was a new space and that we needed the collaboration of a very diverse ecosystem across the public and private sector. Looking back, the complexity of the ecosystem and the lengthy contract process were two of the most daunting challenges.
Despite these risks, and starting a new practice in the middle of a pandemic, I was able to attract a strong and passionate team.
Following some hard work, the team and I set up a multimillion-dollar practice within a year. It sure was an experience. Our success in this space credentialed us across Deloitte’s member firms around the world.
This work has led me to focus on helping clients establish trust across their customers and internal and external stakeholders in their digital transformation journey. To me, a trusted Digital Identity is a fundamental building block as organizations go through their digital transformation.
Upon reflection, the following are three main points I hold closest to heart about being involved in the Trusted Digital Identity practice in Deloitte:
- I had the opportunity to work with some incredibly passionate and gifted people that are trailblazers like me. Some of these people were already in Deloitte and some joined us along the way
- I witnessed several team members considerably advance their careers. For instance, I’m especially proud of one of our senior managers who grew into a partner role. I even saw her take over the Trusted Digital Identity practice
- I worked on a very interesting platform that will help provide equitable access to all Canadians, and eventually, the world.