Deloitte Takes Olympic and Paralympic Heroes on 10-Stop College Tour to Draw Parallel Between Leadership in Sports and in Business

Initiative helps Deloitte identify talent needed to fill 7,000 open full-time and intern positions

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Sep 04, 2012, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As the excitement from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games continues, several world-class athletes are teaming with Deloitte on a 10-stop national campus tour to encourage students to 'go for the gold™' in all aspects of life, especially their future careers.

With approximately 7,000 job openings for newly minted college graduates and interns, Deloitte is joining forces with Olympic and Paralympic athletes to present "It's Your Race, Take the Lead!" During the month-long tour nine athletes, including 2012 Olympic gold medalist Abby Wambach (soccer), 2012 Olympic silver medalist Cullen Jones (swimming), 2012 Olympian and two-time gold medalist Mariel Zagunis (fencing), 2012 Olympian Jonathan Horton (gymnastics) and 2012 Paralympian April Holmes (track & field) will share their personal journeys to success. They will talk with students about the importance of determination, superior performance and how to become a leader in a highly competitive environment, whether in business or sports. Students will also have the chance to network and discuss post-graduation career opportunities one-on-one with Deloitte leaders and recruiters.

"This is the third year we are touring campuses with inspirational athletes, and each time we've done it, the students have consistently expressed how motivating their stories are," said Diane Borhani, Deloitte's U.S. campus recruiting leader. "These students see the parallels between athletic achievement and career success and they have a better understanding of how important it is to find the right fit with an employer who is going to encourage and challenge them to 'take the lead' once they graduate."

"Deloitte is a great supporter of Team USA and this program is another example of our commitment to highlighting the dedication and personality of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes," said Lisa Baird, chief marketing officer, USOC. "Behind their achievements on the field of play is a tremendous amount of preparation and planning – lessons that will no doubt be valuable to the students reached through this tour."

The "It's Your Race, Take the Lead" campus tour is one of many ways Deloitte engages future leaders and offers them a glimpse of the organization's culture. Others include the annual Deloitte National Leadership Conference where, each summer, students hone leadership skills in career development workshops. This past July, nearly 400 students participated in the conference, which was held at Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas. Additionally, Deloitte's alternative spring break program, which is presented in collaboration with United Way and Teach for America, allows college students to volunteer their skills in hard-hit communities during their spring vacations. The program is so popular that last year Deloitte received nearly 1,600 applications for the approximately 80 coveted spots.

As the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes followed their dreams to London, Deloitte's sponsorship provided the USOC with professional services and insight, to help it give Team USA the resources and support it needed to compete. Deloitte has been a proud supporter of the USOC since 2009 and recently extended its sponsorship, to serve as the Official Professional Services Sponsor of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through 2020.

About Deloitte's Talent Initiatives
As the nation's largest professional services organization, our ability to attract, develop and deploy high-performing talent is critical to delivering superior performance and serving our clients with distinction. Our aim is to offer challenging work to our people, enhance their careers and fuel our business growth by fostering an environment where leaders thrive. This is a meaningful part of the Deloitte culture, and a value understood, shared, and recognized by our clients and our professionals. Please visit us at www.facebook.com/deloitteuniversity and follow us at @LifeAtDeloitte. For more information on Deloitte's award-winning Talent initiatives, please visit deloitte.com.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

SOURCE Deloitte