HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
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OCTOBER2015
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ILLUSTRATIONBYANDRÉDALOBA
57
S
hortly before I was scheduled
to interviewCathyEngelbert,
CEO of accounting giant
Deloitte, I got into a conver-
sation with a guy who happened to
mentionthathissonworksforDeloitte.
“Oh, that’s funny,”I said.“I’mgoing
to interview theCEO.”
“Cool,”he replied. “You’re going to
speakwithhim,as a journalist?”
“Yes,but it’s aher,not ahim.”
“Are you going to his office?” he
continued.“Ishebased inNewYork?”
When Engelbert was named
Deloitte CEO in February—the
first time a “Big Four” accounting
firm had hired a female boss—the
move was hailed as a victory for
women. Shortly afterward, the glass
ceiling got another crack, as Lynne
Doughtie was appointed head of
KPMG, thereby joining the ranks of
high-poweredwomen suchasYahoo’s
MarissaMayer and formerHP head
CarlyFiorina.
The statistics, however, tell a dif-
ferent story.Among all Fortune 500
companies, amere 25 are headed by
women. Engelbert, while a rare and
notableexception to thisdeficiency,has
no intentionof trumpetinghercoup.In
fact, she’dbe happy if people paidher
nomindatall.EvenEngelbert’soffice,
41 stories aboveMidtownManhat-
tan, eschews the usual power-broker
trappings—no Italian marble, no
exotic woods.Which, of course, is as
it shouldbe.Flash isnot the first thing
you look for inanaccounting firm.As
Engelbert is fully aware, companies
likeDeloitte reallyonlybecomevisible
when somethinghas gonewrong.
“We areOKwith not getting out-
wardcredit,”shesaidwhenIvisitedher
inheroffice.“Weare inaclient service
business.We serve theirmission.”
Engelbert, who has been with
Deloitte since the mid-1980s, has
built a career out of beingOKwith a
minimumof fanfare.“I am a listener,”
she said, “a collaborator.” And her
time at the firmhas not beenmarked
byanaccumulationofpower. “Iwasn’t
a high-ranking leader inDeloitte for
a very long time,” she said. “I was a
partner in the field, serving clients,
leading teams.”
bright ideas
industry
HiddenTalents
Deloitte CEO CathyEngelbert has spent the bulk of her
career in the shadows—which is exactlyhow she likes it
BYDAVIDZWEIG
