Great Relationships

Deloitte UK partner and CIO Mary Hensher is a people person with a passion for the potential of IT to change business.

The Feature in Five Points

  • Deloitte UK CIO Mary Hensher is only too aware of the fact that she remainsa scarcity amongst the rarefied air of UK business leadership; a woman with a responsibility for technology at a leading firm.
  • There is hope that the balance will once again shift towards women, and thathope comes in the form of social media. “Technology used to be anti-social; now it’s social,” says Hensher, referring to the increasing prevalence of collaborative technology.
  • “You need pioneers to prove that new models of working are possible,” saysHensher. “Part-time employment will not work in every job but IT should be more accommodating. Employees need to be as flexible as they can. A good working relationship can make new models work.”
  • Information is everything. It is crucial that a central core of IT experts is retainedto ensure that client data is secure: “We can’t afford ignorance and managing secure data is essential,” says Hensher.
  • Hensher says issues of security and mobility come together and create concernsaround connectivity: “The challenge is to connect your people effectively,” she says.

We can only offer you coffee from a machine,” says Mary Hensher. It is the only thing about my chat with the partner and CIO at Deloitte UK that is actually mechanical. Warm and opinionated, Hensher’s passion for her job and for the potential for IT to change business shine through during our meeting. Hensher is only too aware that she remains a scarcity amongst the rarefied air of UK business leadership; a woman with a responsibility for technology at a leading firm. It is a responsibility she does not take lightly and talks at length about the position of women in IT. Our conversation also covers a broad range of business areas, including consumerisation, social media, mobility and secure connectivity.

The starting point is a desire for simplicity in modern business IT.

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