Alan MacGibbon

Alan MacGibbon
Managing Partner and CEO, Deloitte & Touche LLP

Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario
Website: www.deloitte.ca.com
Primary Business: Professional Services
Revenues: $1.4 billion
Employees: 7,638

2011 CEO in Action

As CEO of Deloitte, my job is one of stewardship: setting the stage for continued success. When we began to look at diversity, I made sure it was discussed at every executive meeting, board meeting, and town hall. People were waiting for me to get tired of talking about it, but I’ve grown more committed to building an inclusive workplace. I know I won’t see the full results of efforts; the true test of my leadership will be the longevity of Deloitte’s commitment to diversity.

Operating as a fully bilingual company for over 150 years has provided us with a launching pad to inclusiveness. We’ve always recognized the rich thinking and solutions that result from more than one language and culture, so taking it to the next level makes good sense. Last month, I visited a client in Dubai and observed firsthand how meaningful it was to have team members who speak Arabic and are familiar with Muslim culture. In Canada, we are fortunate to have people of every language, every culture and every lifestyle, as well as the new millennial generation entering the workforce. To achieve our firm’s ambitious growth goals, we must appeal to the best and brightest, and they come from every part of our diverse society.

My approach is to create opportunities to put people in leadership roles, not only as a reward for their abilities, but to give diverse groups role models they can look up to. Occasionally, you have to stretch the fit a bit – but if you don’t make the effort, you’ll never see change. In the next two years, we want a greater proportion of our newly promoted leaders to be diverse. Our goal is 50 percent and includes people with disabilities and LGBTs (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people), not just visible minorities and women.

We’ll reach that goal by making diverse hiring choices at all career stages – not just out of university, where the pool of candidates naturally reflects Canadian society – but also at more senior levels. We’ll also use self-identifying data to monitor and address any anomalies in turnover.

I’m passionately committed to the process of becoming a more inclusive organization. With every step, the learning has been incredible. Whether supporting our LGBT network, sponsoring the Paralympic Games, or holding a crosscountry dialogue on diversity, we are not just aiming at the target, we are embracing the journey.

Education: Bachelor of Commerce, University of New Brunswick; Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of New Brunswick
First Job: Credit Manager at a hardware store
What I’m Reading: The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, by Stieg Larsson
My Philosophy: Lead by example – show versus tell.
Best Advice: Worry about what you have to address, not what is outside your control.
Family: Wife Glynis and two daughters
Interests: Golf, travel, gardening
Favorite Charities: United Way and The Learning Partnership