Viewing business through a sustainable lens
In a business landscape often dominated by figures, representing data with a
sense of purpose can make a big social and environmental impact. That’s how ImpactLens was born.
This project has been recognised through the Deloitte NSE Impact Awards, an internal recognition programme which celebrates the impact our people and teams make on clients, people and society.
Designed and developed by our teams in Switzerland, ImpactLens evaluates the potential sustainability impact of a project and provides recommendations for improvement.
The framework also ensures that recommendations are not just added when requested by the client, but rather proactively included by our teams as an integral part of the project.
As a methodology referencing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the United Nations, ImpactLens helps organisations identify the long-term effects of a project on both people and the planet and supports them in taking recommended action. For one team, ImpactLens proved the perfect tool when planning to establish the new Deloitte Innovation Hub, an integrated network of experts across a number of sectors, serving markets in Europe and the Middle East– based in Cairo, Egypt. The findings informed the decision to proceed with opening the new Cairo hub. The findings are also helping to shape the hub’s day-to-day operations to make an impact that matters and be both environmentally sustainable and to ensure inclusivity.
This strategic investment, totaling $30,000,000 over three years, was made by Deloitte North and South Europe (NSE), marking a significant milestone in our commitment to driving innovation and harnessing top-tier talent in this emerging market.
“Using ImpactLens, the team applied a framework based on 95 indicators linked to the SDGs to determine the opportunities and risks of choosing to locate in Cairo, then built on that with stakeholder interviews. This resulted in 83 recommendations and a governance system, embedding sustainability into the Hub’s operations from the start.”
Katharina Ohnmacht, Senior Manager, Deloitte Switzerland.
Benefits beyond Cairo
Since its inception, the Innovation Hub has rapidly expanded to over 300 of Egypt’s top talent, including fresh graduates and experienced hires, reinforcing its commitment to nurturing and empowering local talent.
ImpactLens allows decisions to be made in a way that embeds impact, encouraging users to consider challenges from a different lens, helping them to prioritise and focus, and arming them with the mindset to always be ready to make the right decision. It also helps us to tell an accurate and robust story about our impact; the team hopes that ImpactLens enables the SDGs to become the baseline for all decision-making.
Value for all stakeholders
Teams in Switzerland were already using ImpactLens to assess client proposals, so the team chose to lead by example and use the tool to analyse its own decisions.
"If you’re only looking at financial KPIs, this is only part of the picture," explains Deborah de Wolff, Senior Consultant, specialising in AI & Data. "Factoring in environmental sustainability, inclusive employment practices, professional training and more all helps build a business for the future. This adds value for every stakeholder, prioritises diversity, and creates the conditions to ensure what you're achieving is aligned with your purpose and mission.”
“When you start looking at the more holistic view, your business model is more
sustainable.”
Deborah de Wolff, Senior Consultant at Deloitte Switzerland.
