The 2021 Women Leaders In Consulting: Elizabeth Butwin Mann

An experienced technology executive, Elizabeth leads the Life Sciences and Health sectors in Americas Cybersecurity. She helps executives and boards seek balance in an increasingly disruptive digital economy.

Having worked in information security for more than 25 years, she established her leadership position early in the discipline's development, looking at security from the identity, access and privilege management perspective.

As an advocate for a risk-oriented, resiliency-based approach to cybersecurity, she loves understanding the why behind what we do.

Elizabeth also leads EY's efforts for gender parity, actively promoting cybersecurity and risk management as engaging careers for women. She is the executive sponsor for several family and women initiatives at EY.

She received a BA in Biological Basis of Behavior and Spanish and an MA in Romance Languages and Literature from the University of Pennsylvania.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

"I came to this industry with an unconventional educational background having earned degrees in seemingly unrelated fields: romance languages and neurobiology. But, I've always viewed my background as entirely relevant and apply it to my work every day: understanding cybersecurity ultimately requires a collection of diverse skillsets, from understanding how people think and process information, to fundamental knowledge of data and science. My background has helped me to understand complex concepts as well as teach others about a complicated industry landscape."

"I'm proud of how I've leveraged my background to tap into exceptional talent, and bring people along, creating future leaders in this industry. I'm also proud of how my background has influenced the way my team and I approach cyber with our clients. We are successful because we take the time to holistically understand their business. As we learn clients' processes and what parts of the business they want to transform or modernize, we ask two important questions upfront: is this process or service digital, and is it important enough for you to protect? By digging into client priorities, we can embed cyber into a transformation – protect as you transform, rather than retrofit later, when a threat occurs. This separates us from our peers as it's infusing cyber into everything we do in addition to delivering direct engagements to modernize Cybersecurity functions."

What's the best advice—consulting or otherwise—you've ever received?

"My parents were, and remain, a consistent source of invaluable advice. I grew up in a household where both my sister and I felt like there were no limits to what we, as women, could do or accomplish. This support motivated me to be ambitious, continue to set the bar higher for myself and lead and influence by example. In my consulting career I would have to call attention to a great colleague in the firm. He once told me that the beauty of a consulting partnership is that you need never "be alone in the boat." Consult, collaborate, team – these are inherent to our core values, make the job more fun, and help you through the tough times."

What advice would you give to a female consultant just beginning her career?

"What makes us successful as consultants is optimizing solutions for clients. Often that means taking a pause to make sure we're asking the right questions, as there are no one size fits all needs or solutions. I always work from what my clients want to achieve, and I want to understand where they want to go – what will make them successful. I also encourage women to bring their perspective to the table – to dig in and understand. Many, like me, haven't had a traditional path to cyber – but they bring other knowledge to the problem solving that we face, and can train further to deepen their technical skills. The key is to recognize the power of a diverse team, while also developing technical depth and understanding possible solutions. Consulting in Cybersecurity is an exceptional career for someone who combines a love of learning with an understanding of our rapidly changing business ecosystem. It is also a career with inherent flexibility – it has served me well as I navigate my many roles in life – I often say that in consulting you earn the right to continuously adjust your approach, your schedule, your work/life balance."

What does being honored as a Woman Leader in Consulting mean to you?

"It all comes back to pride in my organization. As a top 5% producer for the cyber practice within EY focused on exponential growth, excellence in the marketplace and investing in diverse talent, this recognition solidifies my belief that we have the right culture, solutions and key elements to help protect businesses, governments and society against cyber threats, while developing our next-generation leaders."