Deloitte Names Kavitha Prabhakar Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer

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Jan 25, 2021, 08:30 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Deloitte is pleased to announce Kavitha Prabhakar as chief diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officer. In this role, Prabhakar will focus on advancing Deloitte's DEI strategy, which prioritizes four key pillars: Diversity and Equity; Inclusion and Belonging; Workforce Well-being; and External Impact.

"The pandemic and social justice issues we continue to face have further underscored the critical role businesses play in creating positive societal change," said Joe Ucuzoglu, chief executive officer, Deloitte US. "Deloitte is proud to build upon our long history of championing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are pleased to have a transformational leader like Kavitha lead our DEI strategy and bring innovative solutions to help amplify our impact."

A well-respected thought leader on digital transformation, gender parity, and inclusion, Prabhakar brings more than two decades of experience to this role. Additionally, Prabhakar co-leads Deloitte's Black Action Council. Formed in June 2020, this internal group of leaders and professionals is responsible for the organization's long-term commitment to advance Black colleagues and communities and reinforce a culture of anti-racism in workplaces and society.

"The past year has brought a renewed focus on enduring racial inequity in our country," said Prabhakar. "While Deloitte's mission of delivering a world-class talent experience remains the same, we are amplifying our focus on equity in the diversity and inclusion action plan. Equity is the critical lens through which we will assess all our systems and processes so that everyone has an opportunity to achieve success."

Previously, Prabhakar led a $1 billion practice with nearly 5,000 professionals as Deloitte Consulting LLP's civil government sector leader, overseeing a wide range of clients including, the Departments of State, Treasury, Commerce, Transportation, Energy and Agriculture, as well as the U.S. Postal Service, NASA and U.S. Agency for International Development.

Prabhakar has been recognized as one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Next Gen and as Crain's Notable Minorities in Accounting, Consulting & Law. She holds a M.S. in computer science and MBA with concentrations in strategy and finance from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Prabhakar succeeds Dr. Terri Cooper, who has served as chief inclusion officer since 2018. Under Cooper's leadership, Deloitte significantly advanced efforts to recruit, engage, and advance a diverse workforce. Cooper also represented Deloitte at Davos, Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, and Women Leaders Global Forum. Dr. Cooper now serves as Deloitte's vice chair of external diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and focuses on advancing DEI with our clients and in the marketplace.

About Deloitte
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 7,000 private companies. Our people come together for the greater good and work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today's marketplace — delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthier society. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Now celebrating 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte's more than 330,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com.

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SOURCE Deloitte