Meet John Levis
Partner, Telecommunications, Media & Entertainment, Business and Operations Support Systems Leader, Deloitte Services LP
The Faces of Deloitte TMT is a series of articles exploring the personal histories of Deloitte people, sharing experiences that have defined their values, and highlighting why they do what they do. In this story, learn how John’s logical and persistent approach to solving problems has benefitted Deloitte clients for decades.
From differential equations to helping create value for a challenging client, John lives for solving problems. John first joined the Toronto office of Deloitte Canada—then known as Touche Ross—in 1988, after graduating from the University of Waterloo with an applied math and engineering degree. Since then, he has spent nearly 40 years putting his problem-solving nature to work for his clients. “We’ve made a lot of good strategic decisions along the way,” John says, reflecting on his long tenure at Deloitte. “We’ve grown the organization such that there are so many different opportunities for people to pursue. There’s no place I’d rather be.”
When he first started out, John decided he would never say no to new opportunities, and instead would try to learn as much as possible. As a result, his rewarding career has seen him practicing in locales as far as Hong Kong SAR, Chile, Italy, and Central and South America. His strategy has paid off, and the beneficiaries are a bevy of loyal clients around the world.
At a time when investments in the field are ramping up, sponsoring the telecommunications BSS/OSS investment for Deloitte requires an innovative approach to problem-solving. That means looking at challenges from different angles and applying what John calls the “fundamentals of transformation.” He always asks, “Does the work really need to be done? And if so, how can it be done in a better or different way?” Based on the answers, Deloitte can apply its technological experience in an effective way.
John recalls one particular situation where a client was struggling with a legacy system that required complex business processes and a large workforce to run. Historically, this client had tried cutting workforce in the hopes of reducing costs, but as it turned out, they were looking at the equation from the wrong side. The TMT team zeroed in on the real problem— a whole series of products that were low value and contributed only small or negative margins to the client. “These products were complicating the infrastructure—the systems, processes, and people—that created unnecessary costs in their business,” John said. “So, we went in from the front end, found the root of the problem, and focused not on the outcome but on the input. In other words, we modernized their product portfolio mix. We solved it from the other side of the equal sign.”
When John isn’t solving problems at Deloitte, he’s trying to solve the problem of being in three places at once as he chases his three college-aged sons around the globe—popping in on his twins’ semesters abroad in Spain, Italy, and England or attending the University of Delaware’s football games to support his other son’s career as an equipment manager. Whatever problem John sets his sights on, he approaches it with the same drive, persistence, and curiosity that he has brought with him since first joining Deloitte.
Why TMT?
The TMT industry is at the heart of our economy and society. Yet, for all of the cutting-edge ingenuity, companies in TMT are not immune to challenges. “Most problems have been solved before,” says John. He believes that Deloitte’s approach of adapting solutions to new situations is part of what makes Deloitte successful. “We bring value to clients by confidently showing them a path through their challenges, illustrating examples where other organizations have successfully tackled similar problems. Then we can move quickly, rather than reinventing the wheel and starting from scratch every time.”
