Chido Muawa

Briefly, explain what you do at Deloitte. 

I’m a Director in Deloitte Australia’s National Operate Office, supporting business and pursuit teams, as well as clients, across the end-to-end Operate project cycle. My team helps support teams across project origination, shaping, solutioning and delivery. 

How would you explain what you do to someone who knows nothing about Operate services?

Operate services are Deloitte firms combining leading-edge technology (proprietary as well as external cloud and software vendors), people, and hard-to-source knowledge, to drive ongoing transformation programmes for our clients. These programmes are often managed by us on a long-term basis. We help clients rethink how they run core business processes and functions in areas like application, cloud and infrastructure services, as well educating them on the sources of value they can obtain through these next-generation managed services. 

Tell us about an Operate services project you're most proud of working on in your career.

That would be a current client pursuit, where we’re looking at harnessing leading-edge technology, business processes, and people to drive accelerated and sustained benefits for the client like increased digitisation and automation, improved efficiency, reduced cost base and continuous innovation. It’s a complete overhaul of the business function where, if successful, Deloitte will implement and manage the technology platform and execute all the associated business processes for several years. The scope and scale of the opportunity is significant and the client has a truly global footprint—where I know we will be able to deliver so much value. 

What does a typical day of work look like for you?

To be honest, no day is the same. My typical day starts with a workout and meditation. When I am on an active client project, I attend a project team stand-up call to align on the priorities for the day. Then the rest of the day is spent supporting client solution co-design workshops, internal integration and alignment meetings. I’m also involved in national Operate practise work—supporting internal business teams working on Operate projects and pursuits, including raising Operate awareness and acumen, providing proposal support and connecting people with worldwide or Deloitte Australia resources.

How did you end up in Operate services? 

I’m a trained chartered accountant but I actually started my career working in the mining sector, with my first role in mining operations working onsite. As my career advanced, I gained exposure to operations across corporate functions. Later, I was involved in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation project that sparked my interest in becoming an operations specialist and my move into professional services.

What excites you most about your role? Why do you do what you do?

I enjoy educating Deloitte teams and clients on the opportunity and value that Operate services can unlock for organisations. A lot of people know Deloitte firms for advisory and implementation services. It’s about familiarising them with our scope of service capabilities and demonstrating where we have successfully delivered these—running, managing, and maintaining clients’ critical systems and processes.

What's a common misconception about working in Operate services?

That it’s traditional Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and all about offshoring transactional activities. Operate is about bringing leading-edge technology, capabilities, and hard-to-source talent together to deliver next-generation innovation and outcome-oriented solutions. We run mission-critical areas of clients’ businesses.

What aspects of your career journey have taken you by surprise?

Everything has been very surprising—from leaving the accounting profession to my career growth working in operations. For a long time, my career trajectory was typical of an accounting professional. In Deloitte Australia and within Operate my operations and finance background are my key differentiators. I bring different perspectives to the table.

What advice would you give your younger self about working in Operate services?

Don’t let preconceptions define what a career in Operate has to offer. There is so much opportunity for career growth in this space. Due to the diversity of clients and truly cross-business transformation projects we work on, no two days or project are the same.

What do you like to do outside of work? And why is it special to you?

I care a lot about mental health and so I'm big on self-care and self-love. I find that I’m at peace and able to clear my mind when I’m outdoors. I love running, walking, going to the gym, swimming, and any sort of physical activity. Where I live in Australia is perfect for outdoor activity, which means I’m often going to the beach or taking a hike. 

Note: The services and experiences described herein are intended to demonstrate Deloitte's experience and capabilities in these areas, however, due to independence restrictions that apply to audit clients (including affiliates), Deloitte is unable to provide certain services based on individual facts and circumstances. Therefore, the experiences and descriptions would not apply to services to audit clients.