Leadership

Greg Durant, B.B.A.’80

Greg Durant, is passionate about making an impact for clients, the capital markets and the firm’s own people.

In his role as a leadership partner with some of Deloitte’s largest clients, Durant is energized by helping solve their toughest challenges. “Our clients’ needs are evolving quickly, and we must evolve in order to drive lasting value for them.”

Durant is currently working with Deloitte leaders on what the future will look like for organizations. The team is looking at everything from artificial intelligence and tools, to crowdsourcing, to robotics process automation, to skills augmentation.

“Our Deloitte CEO, Cathy Engelbert, describes this research as ‘work of the future,’ rather than ‘the future of work,’” says Durant. “The nature of our work will change, but I see technology as a partner and not a replacement. We need to be cognizant of how we want technology to transform the way we work.”

On the public accounting side of the equation, Durant is a true believer in the role of his profession in serving the capital markets. “I never lose sight of the fact that trust is the heart of our business. Board members and executives are depending on us—and so are the capital markets. We have an important role to play in protecting the public interest.”

Mentorship

A mentoring environment is central to Deloitte’s culture and personally important to Durant. He has a passion for nurturing an inclusive and diverse workplace. “Throughout my career, I have focused on mentoring women colleagues,” he notes. “We have intentionally worked to develop women leaders with the career experiences needed to take over the relationships of our most complex clients. As a result, when we rotate our client partners, there are qualified women who are competitive for those leadership positions.”

Durant points out that mentoring must be intentional. “You know what someone’s resume must look like to assume key leadership roles. Consequently, you have to actively help manage your colleagues’ experiences so that their resumes are persuasive when an opportunity comes their way. And I think that you need to place some of your political capital at stake by putting your name behind people.”

We have intentionally worked to develop women leaders with the career experiences needed to take over the relationships of our most complex clients. As a result, when we rotate our client partners, there are qualified women who are competitive for those leadership positions.”
—Greg Durant

Being vulnerable

“I had a situation in my first couple of years of leading a major client relationship where the management on the client-side turned over, and the company asked for a new partner on the account,” says Durant. “Though I could have chalked it up to the management turnover, which was definitely a big contributing factor, I took the opportunity to ask myself what I could have done differently.”

Sharing that story is something that Durant does frequently with fellow colleagues.

“At times, people see your current title, and they think that you haven’t had your setbacks. I find that my challenges have allowed me to be more empathetic. I am not afraid to show my vulnerabilities to someone else, hoping that those examples may help them in resilience and continuous improvement.”

A life without silos

The closing note for this story centers on happiness. Rather than work-life balance, Durant seeks to live a life without silos—a true integration of work and life.

“My success depends on the ability to have my personal and professional lives intersect,” says Durant. “I need my family and close friends to be a part of my career. My childhood friends visit, and I take them golfing with colleagues. For me, keeping two separate lives doesn’t work. It doesn’t make me happy, and there isn’t enough time in the day. What is important in life is that you share your whole self with others.”