Returning to Deloitte: George's story
“The opportunities for variety and growth at Deloitte were a big factor enticing me back.”
George shares his motivations for coming back, the impact of this unique experience, and the lessons learned along the way.
1. What was your role at Deloitte before you left and tell us a bit more about your current role now that you are back?
George: I started my career at Deloitte San Francisco in 2016, then started working in January 2019 at Deloitte in Basel and then Zurich in 2020. I left in 2021 to work at Microsoft and came back in 2023. In my previous role at Deloitte, I was a manager in the SAP Finance Team, and now I have returned to the same role. My work centres on large-scale SAP S/4HANA Enabled Business Transformation Programmes, where I support as a Finance SME.
2. What were the key factors or motivations that led you to come back to Deloitte after your time away?
George: What motivated me to come back was Deloitte’s strong global network and deep expertise, which uniquely position it to lead impactful transformation programmes – and that’s something I wanted to be part of again. The high-performance culture here has played a big role in helping me grow into a trusted advisor for clients. I also valued the opportunity to work with clients across different industries.
3. What is one important life lesson you have learned during your career journey that you would like to share with others?
George: One key lesson I have learned is the importance of continuous learning. As Client Advisors we are expected to provide the best solutions – but there will always be moments when we don’t have all the answers. What matters most is staying curious, learning fast (especially in the age of AI), and active listening. This mindset has helped me grow through challenging situations and prepared me to better support my clients.
4. You relocated from Deloitte San Francisco to Deloitte Switzerland in 2019. What motivated your move, and how did you acclimatise in the Swiss environment? What was the biggest surprise for you during this transition?
George: The move was mainly driven by personal reasons. My wife was working in the Life Sciences Sector in Basel and we decided that it made sense that I plan to relocate, plus we also have a large family here on my wife’s side. Relocation was a big shift since I did not speak German at the time and had spent most of my life in Indian and English language environments, and so it was a totally new experience. The biggest surprise for me was the excellent public transport network. In previous projects, I often relied on Uber or car rentals, but in Switzerland, the infrastructure makes it easy to travel more sustainably.
5. Who has been the most influential person in your professional journey and why?
George: A former Project Leader greatly impacted my early career by trusting me to lead key client workshops as a junior team member. This boosted my confidence in advising clients and taught me the importance of empowering others – trust often leads to people rising to the occasion.
6. Do you have any quote or motto that you live by?
George: “Be passionate and bold. Always keep learning. You stop doing useful things if you don’t learn” – Satya Nadella.
7. What did you dream of becoming when you were a child?
George: I have been fond of computers since childhood. I was fascinated by the story of how Bill Gates founded Microsoft. I still remember trying to build a clone of MS Word using Visual Studio while in high school. I dreamt of becoming a software engineer and later the founder of a startup.
