Deloitte promotes four to partner team in New Zealand

With a view to boosting its leadership in areas of ongoing demand, Deloitte’s New Zealand practice has added four new partners in Auckland and Wellington.

Professional services firm Deloitte has added four new members to its partnership in New Zealand, covering its sustainability, digital customer, and creative practices – described as areas of high demand despite current economic headwinds.

Eva Sherwood Hayter and Louise Aitken have been elevated in Wellington, while Rikki Stancich and Dan Wright step up in Auckland. Deloitte’s Christchurch office meanwhile received a big boost toward the end of last year.

“With the admission of these new partners, we’ve shown a continued investment in evolving our offering to lead the way in areas of increasing relevance to our clients, and a preparedness to back great senior talent coming through our practice,” stated Deloitte New Zealand CEO Mike Horne. “I have no doubt that our partnership’s ability to provide clients with exceptional service will only be strengthened by the considerable experience our new partners bring to the team.”

Eva Sherwood Hayter becomes a partner in Deloitte’s tech consulting division. A psychology and management graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, she has been with the firm since 2018 after three years in a public sector role with Oracle. Earlier, she kicked off her career with half a decade at local IT consultancy Fronde, which is now part of the Seisma Group. In addition to Deloitte, Sherwood Hayter is currently chair of NZTech’s TechWomen program.

Also recently joining the Wellington partnership is Deloitte Consulting’s sustainability & climate lead Louise Aitken, who was recruited to the firm at the beginning of last year bringing two decades worth of business, investment and program management experience with a focus on sustainability and CSR. Among other roles, Aitken spent more than a decade with Fonterra, while more recently she served as CEO of impact consultancy the Ākina Foundation.

Another member of Deloitte’s sustainability & climate team, Rikki Stancich joins the partnership in Auckland, likewise boasting two decades of sustainability, climate risk, and emissions reduction experience in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining Deloitte in 2021 following four years between Auckland Transport and Auckland Council, Stancich spent over a decade in climate industry strategy and media roles in the UK, Europe and Asia.

Having been brought in to launch Deloitte Digital’s creative offering in New Zealand in 2021 after carving out a successful ten-year career at BBDO, Dan Wright officially becomes a partner in Auckland. Currently chief creative officer for Deloitte Digital in New Zealand and Sydney, Wright previously served as group executive creative director at local BBDO outfit Collenso, and also spent time with the advertising giant in New York.

Christchurch

Deloitte’s partnership promotions in Auckland and Wellington follow an expansion of its senior leadership in Christchurch announced toward the end of last year. Among the moves, the firm brought in formerAurecon infrastructure advisory leader Norm Castles, while Deloitte Private partner Jamie Hall relocated from Auckland. The firm also noted Canterbury-based partner Harald Heimensen’s appointment as global head of ServiceNow asset development.