The 2021 Global Leaders in Consulting: Michael Flynn

In 2020, Michael Flynn became Deloitte's Interim Global Government & Public Services (GPS) Industry Leader and COVID-19 Response Leader. At a time when the GPS practice and clients had their greatest health, economic, and societal demands, he led a coordinated strategic response to meet the emerging needs of the firm's clients and its 25,000 global practitioners.

His efforts provided clear global direction and was executed quickly and virtually. His major initiatives included a Global Government Response Portal, an online database of government actions maintained daily from more than 100 countries regarding financial, economic, social, and travel impacts; a World Health Organization (WHO) Navigator tool providing predictive analytics of the impact on economies and health systems; and new strategies to support, maintain, and stimulate economies during and after COVID-19.

When asked what the recognition of being named a Global Leader in Consulting means for him and his firm, Flynn called it "a great honour for both myself and Deloitte," particularly after a difficult year.

"This award recognizes our fantastic Government & Public Services (GPS) and Financial Advisory teams around the world. Although it has been a challenging year and we have all been forced to operate in new ways, I am so proud of how our teams led in the marketplace through relevant support and advice to our clients," he says.

The biggest key to his success so far, Flynn says, is the team he's surrounded by on a daily basis.

"I attribute a large part of my success to being surrounded by great people who are always ready to fully participate and deliver together. I have been very fortunate to work with many great people and have had excellent mentors, especially this year. I especially want to thank them for this award —thank you!"

Q&A: What would you say are your greatest professional achievements thus far in your career?  

"I have been fortunate to work on many iconic projects throughout my career in Ireland and internationally – supporting clients on their 'once-in-a-lifetime' projects – such as delivering large public infrastructure programs, supporting governments that are competing to host international sports events, managing government 'bad bank' loan portfolios, and planning the development of new greenfield cities. While these projects were fascinating, the responsibility to leading our Global GPS team through the COVID pandemic and managing to grow and expand in the market is by far what makes me the proudest. Connecting our network and driving global collaboration to meet our clients' increasing needs as the pandemic circled the world was a great achievement."