By Tyler Coffee
The Luther Hodges Scholars Program is centered around business for good. To help prepare scholars for transformative careers at the intersection of business and society, informative speakers are invited to speak with scholars about insights into professions, industry trends, and global issues. On March 23rd, I had the pleasure of attending a Cross-Talk with UNC alumna, Elizabeth Faber, the Global Chief People and Purpose Officer at Deloitte.
Faber received her BS from the University of North Carolina and MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Interestingly, Faber shared that she attended Carolina without receiving her high school diploma—she was just that talented! At Carolina, she learned the importance of building lasting relationships. She credited this to a turnaround moment in her undergraduate experience. Given that she was visiting with us in March and as a Carolina alum, throughout the talk she set aside time to check on the Carolina basketball score for all of us. It was refreshing to see generations of Tarheels all come together.
Faber has been with Deloitte in various roles for nearly 30 years. She serves as a Deloitte Global Executive Committee member and chairs the Global Talent, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Purpose executive team. She most recently led the People & Purpose division for the Asia Pacific member firm and served as a founding member of the first Asia Pacific Executive Committee.
Faber recently relocated from Singapore back to the United States with her husband and their two daughters. In her current role leading Global People & Purpose, she collaborates with Deloitte’s global business leadership and the Global Executive Committee to define the Global People & Purpose agenda.
Faber’s career journey is a testament to the possibilities of growth and transition. She began her professional life as a banker, but after a few years, she pursued an MBA and transitioned into consulting. After 15 years consulting, she embraced a new internal role at Deloitte that allowed her to balance her career with her new responsibilities as a mother. This move was made possible by the flexibility of Deloitte’s leadership, which she credits for supporting her ability to thrive. In this unique position, she created her job title and created a role that enabled her to focus on serving the firm and its constituents as her primary clients.
One of the key insights Faber shared was the critical role of sponsorship. Different from a mentor who offers guidance and advice, sponsors take a more active role in a person’s career advancement. She has benefitted from having several mentors and sponsors. Faber emphasized how her sponsors’ advocacy on her behalf has been instrumental in her progression within Deloitte. As a strong proponent of Diversity & Inclusion and human resources leadership, Faber notes that she is committed to eliminating leadership echo, a phenomenon where leaders converse only among themselves, excluding others. At Deloitte, she intentionally creates initiatives where purpose is deeply embedded.
Faber admired the Luther Hodges Scholars Program for developing future leaders who can help solve problems working with professionals from within and outside industry. In her day-to-day work, she notes that her ecosystem partners—individuals from multiple sectors—are vital to her success at Deloitte and the ability to artfully work with them is a necessary skill.
Thank you to the Luther Hodges crew for facilitating the event and to Elizabeth Faber for sharing her insight and experience.