Exceptional women leaders aren’t just changing industries, they are redefining what’s possible in business and society. With strategic vision, unwavering integrity, and an innate ability to inspire those around them even amid complexity, they foster progress that is both tangible and lasting. Akanksha S Gulia, Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting LLP, embodies this transformative brand of leadership. Her career stands as a testament to purposeful action, disciplined execution, and a genuine commitment to bettering outcomes for people and organizations alike.

Akanksha’s multidisciplinary foundation spanning architecture, design, innovation, and business strategy uniquely equips her to bridge creative vision with operational excellence. She is lauded for her ability to swiftly make sense of intricate challenges, distill them into actionable roadmaps, and guide teams with a leadership style that balances decisive analytics with authentic empathy. Among colleagues and clients, she is a trusted advisor known for delivering clarity, fostering collaboration, and nurturing growth.

Her leadership not only mirrors Deloitte’s enduring values of impact, integrity, and collaboration, it amplifies them. Deloitte’s century-spanning legacy, founded on the principle of making an impact that matters, thrives today through forward-thinking professionals like Akanksha. For over 175 years, Deloitte has empowered organizations to build resilience and achieve sustainable growth. Its culture of collaboration and integrity, established by founder William Welch Deloitte in 1845, continues to shape how the firm serves clients across industries and geographies. Akanksha advances this heritage by uniting diverse teams, championing client success, and ensuring each decision generates long-term value.

We at CIO Bulletin had the privilege of interviewing Akanksha S Gulia, Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting LLP. She shared valuable insights into her journey, the challenges she overcame, and the path that led her to emerge as one of the ‘Best Women Leaders to Watch’.

Interview Highlights

Akanksha S Gulia, as a woman leader, can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path, and how has your journey as a female entrepreneur shaped the company’s vision?

Shaped by a restless curiosity and a reverence for the human experience, my path has never followed the expected route. I began as an architect, captivated by how spaces and environments can uplift human lives. Propelled by a drive to innovate, I embraced the worlds of design, user experience, and business strategy, seeking to craft solutions and reimagine the way people connect with possibility.

Every step, from healthcare to consulting, revealed the universal need for belonging. Today, as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte and a PhD candidate, I draw upon these unconventional intersections. I lead by listening first, striving to unlock potential in every voice and perspective. My journey is built on a steadfast commitment to cultivating workplaces where everyone’s potential finds a home.

As a woman leader at Deloitte Consulting LLP, what challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them to establish yourself as a trusted voice in the field? Additionally, who have been your key mentors, and in what ways have they significantly influenced your journey?

Navigating new geographies and diverse disciplines has meant challenging assumptions and earning trust in unfamiliar spaces. Each transition, whether cultural or creative, has reshaped my conviction that authentic leadership is defined by elevating people and perspectives. I have learned that trust is built not solely by what you say, but by how intently you listen, especially when charting new territory.

Mentors from my formative years in India instilled a restless empathy and taught me that design and strategy should always uplift the human experience. Their guidance became my compass as I pivoted between fields, showing me that genuine impact is measured by how deeply we empower those we serve.

Today, as I often say, “A leader’s worth is reflected in the humanity they amplify.” At Deloitte, I lead by bridging diverse stories, never losing sight of the human pulse beneath every challenge.

Your career spans architecture, design-driven innovation, and consulting. How did these diverse experiences help you develop a leadership style rooted in empathy and human-centered innovation?

Rooted in creative disciplines, my leadership philosophy was seeded in the restless curiosity of a defense upbringing in India, where each new city expanded my perspective. Architecture taught me that every built space holds a unique human tale, and design and innovation revealed that innovation thrives when we listen deeply to those narratives.

Venturing across industries—from healthcare and digital to consulting—cemented my belief that empathetic leadership isn’t just an ideal, but a driver for enduring impact. Bridging creativity and strategy, I make it a practice to uncover the “human why” behind every challenge. As I often say, “Innovation flourishes when empathy is the blueprint.” At Deloitte, I lead by ensuring every transformation centers on people, blending compassion with strategic rigor.

Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Purpose is “to make an impact that matters” while living its Shared Values, leading the way, serving with integrity, taking care of each other, fostering inclusion, and collaborating for measurable impact. How do you personally bring these values to life in your work?

Leading diverse teams across geographies, I champion innovation by forging close partnerships with end users, a mindset I capture as, “Design with, not for, the user, and let curiosity fuel every solution.” My approach extends beyond business directives, anchoring our work in direct user research to surface authentic needs and aspirations.

Empathy, radical collaboration, and creative risk-taking are central to my leadership, ensuring that every voice and perspective is genuinely heard. This is how I embody Deloitte’s shared values: I let integrity guide every action and make inclusion a non-negotiable foundation. For me, making an impact that matters means building a culture of co-creation, where every transformation is both measurable and deeply personal, and people emerge more empowered than when they began.

India has become the global epicenter for Global Capability Centers (GCCs). From your perspective, how is Deloitte Consulting LLP helping shape India’s role as a hub of innovation and strategic value for the world?

Deloitte Consulting LLP is elevating India’s GCCs from operational engines to crucibles of global innovation. We are not just harnessing technical excellence, we are fusing local ingenuity and global vision to craft bold, future-ready solutions rooted in agility and empathy.

By transforming GCCs into think tanks, we empower multidisciplinary teams to experiment, co-create, and tackle the world’s most complex challenges. This shift amplifies India’s leadership in the evolving innovation economy.

Personally, I nurture a culture where deep curiosity, local insight, and global ambition converge. In Deloitte’s ecosystem, India’s GCCs don’t merely participate in the era of digital transformation; they author it, designing new paradigms that redefine strategic impact and global innovation itself.

Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?

‘Creative Confidence’ by Tom and David Kelley transformed how I lead. While working with a global healthcare client, I faced the complex challenge of enhancing the well-being of tech professionals in India. Drawing inspiration from the book, I moved beyond conventional consulting, immersing myself in users’ realities and co-creating a solution that blended traditional Indian Ayurveda with digital innovation.

A pivotal moment was collaborating with a tech professional whose burnout story highlighted gaps that standard approaches missed. By applying human-centered design and ancient holistic principles, we developed interventions that genuinely resonated, resulting in measurable improvements in user well-being. That experience cemented my belief that creative confidence unlocks powerful, unconventional solutions at the intersection of empathy, curiosity, and cultural insight. It remains a guiding force in my work, driving meaningful transformation.

Which leader has most inspired your leadership philosophy, and what aspects of their approach resonate with you?

Ratan Tata exemplifies leadership defined by integrity, vision, and deep empathy, qualities I strive to mirror in my own journey. As Chairman of Tata Sons, he steered the Tata Group into a global powerhouse while maintaining a steadfast commitment to ethical business, social responsibility, and people-first values.

His bold decisions, from pioneering global acquisitions to investing in emerging sectors, reflect strategic acumen anchored in humility and care for communities. Ratan Tata’s inclusive mindset, valuing both innovation and trust, reminds me that real success marries profit with purpose. His legacy shapes how I lead: with honesty, courage, and a belief that business can be a force for meaningful, positive change.

Looking ahead, what kind of leadership paradigm do you believe the world needs most today and how do you see yourself contributing to shaping that future through your role at Deloitte Consulting LLP?

The leadership paradigm the world needs most now is fundamentally human-centered, grounded in empathy, adaptability, and ethical stewardship. As AI, robotics, and automation accelerate innovation, I believe it’s essential to keep humans actively engaged: listening with intent, embracing diverse perspectives, and designing technologies that elevate well-being while honoring personal dignity and creative potential.

In my role at Deloitte Consulting LLP, I embody this ethos by championing solutions that are crafted around people, not merely systems. Whether guiding clients through complex transformations or cultivating teams that unite technical rigor with genuine empathy, I strive to create environments where technology enhances, rather than eclipses, our humanity. My ongoing mission is to shape a future where the positive, meaningful impact that technology brings to individuals and society at large becomes the true measure of progress, ensuring that no one is left behind as we advance.

Many young professionals look up to you as a mentor and voice of inspiration. What advice would you give them and to the next

 generation of women leaders who aspire to lead with both courage and compassion?

Looking back, my turning point came when I learned to draw strength from my own story, allowing curiosity and empathy to lead me through moments of doubt and bold leaps into the unknown. My advice to young professionals, especially women: let your journey fuel your leadership. Don’t dim your questions or soften your convictions. Honor your unique perspective as a catalyst for positive change and make space for diverse voices to flourish.

Some of my most transformative work began with embracing vulnerability—admitting what I didn’t know and welcoming others to grow alongside me. Compassion is your force multiplier: elevate others as you climb, seek mentors who push and support you, and nurture circles built on trust. “Lead not to fit a mold, but to expand it.” Your courage and compassion are exactly what the world needs now.

“I lead by listening first, striving to unlock potential in every voice and perspective. My journey is built on a steadfast commitment to cultivating workplaces where everyone’s potential finds a home.”