Interview with Leda Olia

Leda Olia is an aspiring woman in the world of finance and consulting, currently thriving as a manager consultant within Deloitte’s Financial Services Change team. With a strong background in behavioural science, Leda has become a driving force in large-scale transformation programs for high-profile clients in wealth management, insurance, and banking. Her journey to becoming a manager at Deloitte showcases her dedication to understanding and solving complex change challenges through a unique behavioural science perspective.  

As a young woman in a male-dominated industry, Leda’s resilience, critical thinking, and commitment to elevating others make her a powerful role model for women aspiring to lead in finance and beyond. 

What advice would you give to women struggling with self-confidence in male-dominated industries? 

Leda believes that one of the best ways to empower women in the workforce is by “seeing other women as allies.” Once women can connect with each other they can see that they relate on similar things. She found that in male dominated spaces, she’s faced inappropriate behaviour from some of her male colleagues. These situations have taught her the importance of tolerance and finding middle ground.  

She said: “Look to your female role models.” It is important to be open to discuss your opinions and respectfully question people’s decisions.  

How do you think the industry can better support women in leadership roles, especially within areas like wealth management and banking? 

Leda said that the best way women can be better supported in male dominated areas, is simply by giving women the opportunity to lead. She defines leadership as fundamentally caring about other people and their feelings.  

Being a leader means showing people the way, helping them and promoting diversity. Not just taking people into work. You are doing what’s best for both the business and the team. 

She said: “the team comes before the client.”  

Most of the time women are not considered for leadership roles even though many possess qualities that are extremely suitable for leading teams - such as empathy, collaboration and adaptability. She mentioned that within her field, women are often given feedback on their appearance and character, not on areas of growth, performance and progress.  

What role does emotional intelligence play when dealing with resistance to change, especially in high-stakes industries like banking and insurance and what habits and routines have helped you maintain your well-being? 

For Leda, emotional intelligence is crucial in consulting and finance, particularly when dealing with resistance to change. In high-stake industries like consulting, transformation often encounters pushback, and that’s where empathy plays a huge role.  

As a consultant, Leda said that she feels the need to be sensitive to underlying challenges, helping clients feel understood. For her, building strong habits around critical thinking and structured argumentation has been vital.  

Leda advises to reach out to people beyond your immediate team, and to not be scared to ask questions and consider fresh perspectives to see. She highlighted the importance of learning how to respectfully challenge the people that are your seniors.  

What has been your proudest achievement during your time at Deloitte, and how has it shaped your view of success? 

Leda said that her proudest achievement at Deloitte has been her journey within the Behavioural Change team. When she first joined, she was a contributor, but through consistent effort, she grew into an operational lead role and eventually became an industry lead.  

Being part of a team that uses behavioural science to create impactful ‘nudges’ for clients was something she was passionate about from the start, and this progression has been a rewarding validation of her commitment.  

Another highlight was a recent client project where she used polls to improve engagement—taking the response rate from 35 per cent to an impressive 75 per cent.  

Her achievements have reinforced her belief that success isn’t just about hitting metrics but about creating real and positive change for clients while building genuine relationships.  

Leda said that metric-focused pressure can sometimes be challenging, especially early on when you don’t have full control over your hours. However, learning to navigate this has only strengthened her resilience and commitment to her clients. 

Could you give one piece of advice for university students who are looking to enter consulting or finance? 

The best way to learn more about the field is to reach out to professionals, even if it feels intimidating at first. 

Leda suggested finding people who work in consulting or have experience outside of it, and be brave enough to ask them questions, even if they seem silly. A 15-minute conversation can give you insights that you won’t find in any textbook.  

Or even look for materials that are relevant and go beyond just the technical skills, understanding the human side of consulting, for instance, is invaluable. Building connections thoughtfully is also key.  

Leda said that when you reach out on LinkedIn, make it targeted and genuine. Having a mentor, especially someone outside your organisation, can be incredibly helpful. 

Look for someone you can relate to on a personal level, someone who can give you objective advice.