Louise Zwama

With over two decades of experience at Deloitte, Louise has recently taken on a new role in which she continues her hands-on work with clients while also serving as the People & Purpose Lead within Audit and Assurance (A&A). This change sees Louise add professional development and recruitment to her remit, as well as fostering a positive work environment across Deloitte Netherlands. By balancing these responsibilities with a robust portfolio of client engagements, Louise remains closely connected to both the firm’s strategic goals and the day-to-day challenges of her audit practice. She is also a supervisory board member of War Child – a foundation that focuses on psychological support for children in war zones.

Leadership

Leadership for Louise is defined by adopting a collaborative approach, emphasising teamwork, and pursuing shared goals. She engages with colleagues at all levels, building a culture of mutual support and accountability. This philosophy extends to her new People & Purpose role, where she oversees the complete hire-to-retire process, including professional development and purpose. By staying closely connected to the audit practice, she feels better equipped to understand and address the needs of both young professionals and experienced partners.

Focus

Louise works mainly with clients in the TMT and life sciences sectors. She enjoys guiding the latter through their unique challenges along the path from small start-ups to mature entities preparing for an IPO. “These companies are passionate about what they are doing or developing, and typically grow very rapidly. It’s rewarding to be on that journey with them”, she says. This work also parallels the journey of young professionals at Deloitte, their ambitions, and how they develop their careers from new hires into leaders. In both areas, Louise finds fulfilment in helping others reach their full potential.

Results

Among the key challenges that Louise is tackling in her new role are talent attraction and retention, and making progress on the culture and purpose agenda. As she puts it: “Attracting and retaining talent is a top priority – especially as the profession faces public scrutiny and a declining numbers of accounting students.” To address this, she focuses on creating an environment where accountability is viewed as a positive factor: “I strongly believe accountability is a gift. It’s about helping each other achieve goals in a supportive way.”

For the start-ups and scale-ups, Louise’s role often extends beyond audit, serving as a sounding board and sparring partner. “Clients see me as someone who understands their journey, from start-up to becoming a public listed company, and who brings valuable insights from past experiences”, she shares. This ability to blend deep industry knowledge with strategic guidance has made Louise a trusted advisor to both her clients and her colleagues at Deloitte.