Cindy Hook Explained

Cindy Hook
Birth Place:Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S.
Alma Mater:Miami University
Employer:Deloitte
Boards:Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Cindy Hook is an American-Australian business executive. She was the chief executive officer of Deloitte Asia Pacific from 2018 to 2022, and CEO for Deloitte Australia from 2015 to 2018, making her the first female CEO of an Australian big four professional services firm, and championed diversity and inclusion while in that role. She is the chief executive of the organising committee for the 2032 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Early life and education

Hook was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S. and grew up in California.

She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Miami University.[1]

Career

After graduating, Hook began her career at Deloitte in San Francisco. She joined the firm as an auditor in 1986 and was made a partner in 1998.[2]

In 2009, Hook moved to Australia and soon afterwards was appointed the managing partner for Deloitte Australia's Assurance and Advisory practice. In 2013, under Hook's leadership, the Deloitte Australia Assurance and Advisory practice won both Accounting Firm of the Year and Audit Firm of the Year in the Australian Financial Review CFO awards – the first time a firm had taken out both awards in the same year.[3]

In February 2015, she was appointed chief executive officer for Deloitte Australia, succeeding the previous CEO Giam Swiegers. With the appointment, she became the first female CEO of an Australian Big Four professional services firm.[4] [5] [6] During her tenure as Deloitte Australia CEO, she led the firm to four consecutive record years of 15% annual revenue growth.[7] [8] [9]

In September 2018, Hook was elected as the first Deloitte Asia Pacific CEO for a term of four years. In this role Hook oversaw 65,000 professionals and the firm's operations in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand. In October 2021, she announced that she would not run for a second term in the Singapore-based CEO's role when her current term ended May 2022. She stated in an email to other partners that the decision was made for personal and professional reasons.[10]

On December 13, 2022, Hook was appointed as chief executive of the organising committee for the 2032 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games set to take place in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.[11]

Activism

Hook is an advocate for diversity, inclusion, and well-being. During her time as Deloitte Australia CEO, Hook introduced a Return to Work program to support people who had taken career breaks to transition back to work. She also introduced paid parental leave for fathers, and took major steps to enable the advancement of women and ensure pay equality.

She also championed the LGBTI community through initiatives such as the Outstanding 50 LGBTI leaders list.[12] [13]

Other roles

Hook is a member of the board of directors for the Great Barrier Reef Foundation,[14] a special advisor to the Male Champions of Change[15] and a member of Chief Executive Women.[16]

Recognition

In 2016 Hook was named an Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence Awards finalist.[17]

In 2017, she was named Pride in Diversity CEO of the Year[18] for her efforts in creating an inclusive atmosphere at Deloitte and championing the LGBTI community.[12]

In 2018, Hook was named in The Australian Financial Reviews annual "Power" issue as one of the top five most powerful people in consulting.[19]

Personal life

Hook is an avid fan of Bruce Springsteen and enjoys travel and the outdoors.[4]

References

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cindy Hook . LinkedIn . 27 January 2021.
  2. News: Deloitte's Cindy Hook: From reluctant to proud female leader. October 24, 2017. Financial Review. November 21, 2018.
  3. Web site: Deloitte Australia CEO Cindy Hook on leading in diversity. ACUITY. November 21, 2018.
  4. News: Born to Run: the new boss of Deloitte Asia Pacific Cindy Hook. September 17, 2018. Financial Review. November 21, 2018.
  5. Web site: Cindy Hook appointed new CEO of Deloitte Australia. consultancy.com.au. February 16, 2015 . November 21, 2018.
  6. News: Deloitte Australia appoints Cindy Hook as CEO. December 12, 2014. Financial Review. November 21, 2018.
  7. Web site: Deloitte creates Asia Pacific firm Accountancy Daily. www.accountancydaily.co. November 21, 2018.
  8. Web site: Deloitte's record year as a new era begins Deloitte Australia Media release. Deloitte Australia. November 21, 2018. May 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210509063420/https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/media-releases/articles/deloitte-record-year-new-era-begins-130718.html. dead.
  9. News: Deloitte earnings surge 15pc. June 28, 2016. Financial Review. November 21, 2018.
  10. News: Edmund Tadros . Deloitte's Cindy Hook to step down from Asia Pacific role . . 2021-10-29 . 2023-05-15 .
  11. News: 2022-12-13 . Former Deloitte executive named CEO of Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games . en-AU . ABC News . 2022-12-13.
  12. News: How Australia's first LGBTI business leaders list was born. November 28, 2016. Financial Review. November 21, 2018.
  13. Web site: Outstanding 50 LGBTI Leaders 2018.
  14. Web site: Cindy Hook. Great Barrier Reef Foundation. November 21, 2018. December 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191206012759/https://www.barrierreef.org/the-foundation/our-governance/cindy-hook. dead.
  15. Web site: Male Champions of Change . Deloitte Australia. November 21, 2018. August 10, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810172149/https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/male-champions-of-change.html. dead.
  16. News: Cindy Hook. Chief Executive Women. November 21, 2018. November 13, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221113063529/https://cew.org.au/members/cindy-hook/. dead.
  17. News: Explore the full list of this year's Women of Influence. October 20, 2016. Financial Review. November 21, 2018.
  18. Web site: Deloitte CEO wins top LGBTI inclusion award Deloitte Australia Media release, Diversity, LGBTI, Recognition, Equality. Deloitte Australia. November 21, 2018. August 10, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810172147/https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/media-releases/articles/ceo-wins-top-lgbti-inclusion-award-180517.html. dead.
  19. News: John Lydon tops Australia's 5 most influential consultants in 2018. October 2, 2018. Financial Review. November 21, 2018.