Amy Dove (pictured) has always been a truth-seeker and concerned about ensuring justice is always served.
Of Samoan descent, has recently been appointed to the Deloitte Pås Peau aiga as Deloitte’s first Pacific woman Partner.
As a Risk Advisory, Forensic Discovery, Data and Analytics Partner in the Wellington office, Amy’s focus will be to assist clients better manage regulatory, public inquiries, litigation, risk and investigation matters involving large volumes of structured and unstructured data using advanced technology enabled solutions.
She will also play a key role in supporting Deloitte New Zealand’s Pasifika Lead Lisa Tai with initiatives focussed on building capability within Pacific businesses and organisations.
Amy says ideals of fairness and truth were important to her family when she was growing up in Manurewa before moving to the United States when she was 12.
“When I found that through technology and data, I could tell the true story of what had happened in a particular situation I was hooked,” Amy says.
In the United States, Amy had held the role as Managing Director of Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics LLP.
She had also built a highly successful Discovery and Data Management practice in Deloitte’s US Government and Public Services Practice, working in the field of technology for over 20 years.
However, Amy recently returned to Aotearoa recently to be closer to her two children who study at Victoria University of Wellington.
One of the most important factors in making the move back to New Zealand with Deloitte has been the amazing Pås Peau practice Lisa has created at Deloitte NZ, Amy says.
“When I saw the work, she was doing in the Pacific community and connecting it to the culture of the firm and to our Pacific team members, I knew I wanted to be part of it.
“One of Lisa’s goals is to make a firm like Deloitte a place where Pacific people not just join, but also stay and thrive, and I see it as my privilege and my responsibility to bring my experiences, knowledge, and voice as a Deloitte partner to help advance that work.”
Amy’s journey to this significant role has not always been smooth sailing but the support of her family, and a belief in her Pacific culture and identity has seen her push through challenging times.
“When I left New Zealand, I was the only Pacific person in the workplace most of the time, and there were not have many women in leadership roles – so I did not often see someone like me who was on those dimensions and who I could follow.
“At low times this gave me a sense of being different and other and made me quite shy and quiet - I did not always think my voice and my thoughts mattered.”
She says she is fortunate to have a family who has always strongly believed in her and told her she could do anything she put her mind to and worked hard for.
“With that mindset, I found other dimensions to connect to people with and found while people didn’t look like me or come from where I came from, we had shared values around family, integrity, and caring for each other.”
Amy and the Deloitte Pås Peau aiga are excited about what the future holds, and the new Partner has plans in place which will benefit Pacific Aotearoa.
“My goal is to increase the number of Pacific people at Deloitte and to continue to build the community and environment so people see Deloitte and the professional services world as somewhere we belong and succeed.
“My path into this world was largely through technology and I hope to help young Pacific people, particularly women, develop careers in technology.”
Pacific perspectives and voices are very much needed in technology and Amy hopes to help increase Pacific representation across the sector significantly, she adds.