The 2020 Women Leaders in Technology: Amelia Dunlop

Less than a year ago, she was asked to take on the role of Chief Experience Officer for Deloitte Digital—what she says was her dream job. "I wake up every day thinking about what we can do to make the employee, customer, and partner experience just a little bit better, just a little bit more human," she says. "I love the idea that no matter what 'role' you have, as an accountant, lawyer, or consultant—it is not just O.K., it is essential to show up with equal parts head and heart. I look forward to growing this human experience movement with our team which puts humanity at the center of every experience whether it is digital, physical, or both because I want to live in a world where technology lets us be more human, not less."

One of her favorite pieces of advice, that she remembers from the days of being a young consultant elbow deep in a spreadsheet model checking and re-checking to see if the numbers added up, is this: 'never suspend your own judgement.'  "If the data, the model, the analysis, or the recommendations seem off to you, then it is your job to raise the question and to help find the solution," she says.  

Meanwhile, she says she knows there are women in this and related fields who face challenges every day simply because they are women. 

"I have always tried to see being a woman as a source of differentiation as a consultant," Dunlop says. "As a mother of three children, I know that I have a different perspective and experience to share. My mentors, who have been men and women, have helped give me the confidence that my experience and my voice matters." 

It's safe to say to say that Dunlop's Chief Experience Officer days go back a little further. Perhaps even nine years. Dunlop says her greatest achievement was giving birth to her daughter, who is now nine years old. 

"I gave birth to her in the front seat of our car on the very same day that I made partner," Dunlop says. "If you ask her where she is 'from,' she will say, 'the car.'" 

As far as being recognized as one of the Women Leaders in Technology, Dunlop says she is grateful to win the award on behalf of all the teammates, mentors, and friends she gets to work with every day. "To me this award feels like an acknowledgement that what we are doing—living the aspiration to elevate the human experience—makes a difference."

How did you get into the technology consulting profession? Was it by design or accident?

Dunlop: "I became a strategy consultant more than 20 years ago after graduating with a Master's degree in Theology. I had planned to continue on to a PhD in social theory and theology. Becoming a strategy consultant was definitely not the plan. I love that my path has led me to a place where I can focus on solving problems I care about alongside people I care about."