Social
Empowering 43 million people across Asia Pacific through WorldClass initiatives for social impact.
Our mission at Deloitte is to make an impact that matters on society’s biggest challenges. This purpose drives our decisions, from the work we deliver clients to how we support our communities, society and the planet. In line with this, we are actively engaged in addressing and creating solutions to the most pressing issues facing our region. From equity in education and health to sustainability, and responding to devastating humanitarian crises as they occur, these challenges affect millions of people and require long-term, transformative solutions.
They also cannot be solved by any individual or organisation acting alone. Instead, our approach is to lead and inspire powerful collaborations with clients and community organisations. Through our WorldClass programme, Deloitte Asia Pacific aims to reach the lives of 43 million people by 2030. Over the past year, we worked with Deloitte clients, governments, innovators, schools, universities and nonprofits to progress our WorldClass ambitions across the region. As the following stories indicate, this included investing in innovative approaches to support education, digital skills development, and training opportunities that help more people succeed in the modern economy. At the same time, we worked to scale up solutions that have already enabled us to positively impact 22.5 million lives since 2017.
Our people across Asia Pacific also spent over 330,000 hours volunteering or working on pro bono projects in FY23, impacting the futures of 11.7 million people. To further accelerate these efforts, Deloitte Asia Pacific has pledged to invest US$1 billion over the next 10 years in social impact initiatives as part of a global US$3 billion commitment.
“We aim to help scale opportunities, speed up progress, and build a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for everyone across Asia Pacific."
Nicola Weir, Asia Pacific Internal Climate and Sustainability Leader
Boosting technology talent
Addressing skill shortages and diversity in the tech sector.
Deloitte teamed up with Salesforce on a successful initiative, Digital Career Compass, to address technology talent shortages. We worked with non-profit organisations to deliver our talent development programmes to a diverse community cross-section, from Indigenous peoples to women living with disadvantage. Participants completed a self-paced course over 12 weeks, gaining the training and technical skills they needed to enter the sector, while also receiving certifications, industry mentoring and access to potential employers.
As demand for the programmes grows, we are onboarding two additional alliance partners, AWS and Sitecore, to help us expand the initiative’s reach and deliver more impact.
A second programme prepares university students for the Salesforce ecosystem through a transformative two-part bootcamp. Students gain career readiness skills and technical training as well as guidance on preparing for Salesforce certifications.
Driving change with digital inclusion
Preparing the future generation of girls for the technological revolution.
In FY23, we worked with technology partners, local education institutions and community organisations across Asia Pacific to produce Tech. Talk, a bimonthly webinar series aimed at encouraging more female university students to embrace technology careers.
The webinars deepened students’ understanding of new and emerging technologies and disruptive innovations, through analyses of real-world Deloitte client solutions. The first two webinars amassed more than 7,000 participants from 150 universities across 30 countries in the region.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, our Women + in Cyber initiative ran a series of day-long workshops and large-scale assemblies for high school students, to increase awareness of cyber security careers and teach practical cyber safety skills.
In Southeast Asia, Deloitte also launched a Work Readiness programme designed to upskill young women to enter the workforce. We co-developed this initiative with the first female coding club in Cambodia, Sisters of Code.
Closing the digital divide
Equipping students with equitable access to the digital world.
Over the past year, Deloitte Asia Pacific worked with community partners to launch an end-of-life laptop donation initiative enabling high-quality devices to reach vulnerable children and families across our region.
Established by our Chief Information Officer, Rogier Piepers, and Responsible Business team in Australia, we joined forces with non-profit organisation, LiteHaus International, to establish school computer hubs in Papua New Guinea using Deloitte-donated laptops in several remote communities. Combined with a digital literacy programme for students and teachers, this is expanding local children’s opportunities to receive a quality digital education.
“Through initiatives like these, we aim to help Asia Pacific communities overcome barriers to education and employment. Our laptop donation initiative also delivers on our WorldClimate commitment towards a low-carbon economy that includes zero waste to landfill,” said Kevin Russo, Chief Information Officer, Deloitte Asia Pacific.
Investing in the future of our schools
Strengthening teacher preparedness and access to professional development to address the global learning crisis.
Over the past 12 months, Deloitte Asia Pacific has continued to invest in upskilling educators across our region through carefully co-designed development training.
This effort is focused on underrepresented communities, working to bring corporate best practice to local school settings and improve students’ education outcomes.
In one example, we partnered with The Rural Youth Teacher Program, a social enterprise that delivers virtual training for emerging teachers in rural China. The aim was to support their development and encourage peer networking.
Similarly, in Australia, we collaborated with education professionals to deliver the Courageous Principals leadership training programme to school leaders across the nation, again with the goal of enhancing student achievement.
Supporting climate-smart schools
Accelerating climate-resilient and climate-smart education actions and investments.
At Deloitte, we believe urgent action is needed to help improve climate education across Asia Pacific. The frequency and intensity of climate-related extreme events are only set to increase. This is a situation that will especially affect the region’s most marginalised children, exacerbating current inequalities and threatening to undermine educational progress.
In line with our WorldClass and WorldClimate ambitions, we are responding by accelerating climate-resilient and climate-smart education actions and investments.
For example, Deloitte Taiwan donated solar panels to a remote elementary school in Hsinchu County, helping to power the school as well as provide a sustainable income from green energy sales to the Taiwan Power Company. Over a 20-year period, the panels are expected to generate millions of dollars for the school, which can be invested in improving educational resources, creating stronger curriculums and updating infrastructure. In this way, we can positively impact the educational outcomes of multiple generations of students.
People activating our Purpose
Making a positive impact for the local communities in which we live and work.
Through Deloitte China's Children Care Program, our volunteers encourage the left-behind rural children to reach their potential, offering educational advice and fostering the development of vital social and emotional skills.
In Indonesia, our people helped design and deliver a women’s empowerment program in collaboration with Barry Callebaut, a leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products. Deloitte volunteers' mentor Ibu-Ibu (women) farmers who, in addition to their domestic responsibilities, are working to lift their families out of poverty while building their entrepreneurial skills and expanding their business.
'Voluncheering', a week-long volunteering drive in India, inspired purposeful involvement from our leadership through to our graduates across six critical societal challenges, aimed to support low-income communities.
Deepening a ‘partnership with purpose’ with the International Olympic Committee
During the past year, Deloitte has worked to consolidate our global ‘partnership with purpose’ with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This involves applying our deep business acumen to help the IOC realise the possibilities of its Olympic Agenda 2020+5. We are also engaged in helping the IOC drive initiatives related to sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as athlete career transition and wellbeing. For the next decade, through 2032, we’re committed to make a measurable, sustainable and enduring impact on the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including those in our region: Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 and Olympic & Paralympic Games Brisbane 2032.
We announced the first-ever global Team Deloitte, which includes a group of 19 Deloitte professionals who are also elite athletes training to qualify for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024. In Asia Pacific, we’re proud to celebrate our 11 Deloitte athletes as well as a number of former Olympians and Paralympians spanning more than three decades of Games, from Atlanta 1996 to Beijing 2022. This extraordinary group of Deloitte people embody the unique qualities required to succeed in both sport and business.
As part of Deloitte’s partnership with the IOC, we are also collaborating to develop athlete support initiatives. These include the Athlete365 Mentoring program, which seeks to support a cohort of Olympians and Paralympians in what can sometimes be a challenging career transition away from elite sport. So far, 11 retired Olympians and Paralympians at Deloitte are participating in this programme.
Helping those impacted by humanitarian crises
Recent world events have reminded everyone at Deloitte of the collective impact we can make when our people come together for a common cause, providing help to our colleagues and those impacted by humanitarian crises.
As the war in Ukraine continues, Deloitte and our people have demonstrated solidarity and support for Ukrainians, including providing financial donations, pro bono services and volunteer work. In response to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, Deloitte Asia Pacific donated funds to The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support relief efforts such as the provision of first aid, shelter, food and financial assistance.
Closer to home, New Zealand faced two extreme weather events in FY23 – a severe flood in Auckland, quickly followed by Cyclone Gabrielle. Both caused significant damage and disruption in many communities. Deloitte New Zealand and Deloitte Asia Pacific responded, funding various mayoral disaster relief appeals that provided front-line assistance for affected communities.
Locally, Deloitte New Zealand also mobilised its people to support impacted communities, coordinating more than 250 volunteer hours locally. Activities included putting together and delivering food and care packs for affected homes and families. We also packed 100 backpacks with essential resources to enable schoolchildren to continue learning.
“This outstanding response really demonstrates our firm’s value, ‘Manaaki’ – that is, to take care of each other, our clients and wider communities – at a time of great need,” said Deborah Lucas, Chief Strategy Officer, Deloitte New Zealand.
Establishing coordinated approaches to disaster resilience in Australia with First Nations communities
February 28, 2023, marked the first anniversary of the 2022 catastrophic flooding that hit the NSW Northern Rivers, in what was Australia’s biggest natural disaster since Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Up to 20,000 people were impacted by the floods, including loss of life and thousands of people losing their homes.
The recovery process is slow and ongoing with mental health issues a major problem for affected people, many First Nations communities among them. Deloitte’s initial focus for the floods was on helping with the clean-up, logistics, fundraising, communication and getting immediate help to those who needed it. Since the floods, Deloitte Australia has helped Aboriginal Health Service Rekindling the Spirit raise over $650,000 in additional funding to meet the high demand for their work.
Our team also worked with the Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council to raise $250,000 in grants to fund recovery-focused officers as well as damage assessments and costing for the rebuild of the community infrastructure and housing. They are awaiting the result of a $5m grant application and helping Jali prepare for the next major funding round.
In a submission to the Senate Select Committee on Australia’s Disaster Resilience, signed by Deloitte Australia Indigenous Services Group Partner, Joe Hedger said, “With natural disasters becoming more frequent and severe, there is an imperative to establish a coordinated approach to disaster resilience that is First Nations-led, owned and driven.”
Image supplied by Wairoa District Council
