With a career that includes some of the world’s leading tech companies, Susanne Arnoldy brought a wealth of experience in leading technology projects when she joined PwC Germany’s Advisory practice as a partner in 2016. The reason she came on board? While she’d become a true expert in implementing business-led IT and digital transformations, she wanted the opportunity to act and think with a wider perspective – helping clients to design, develop and then implement their digital / technology strategies.
So successful was her transition to this new and more strategic role that within a short time of joining she was appointed to the PwC Advisory management team. Since then her role has grown further, as she’s gained greater international leadership responsibilities across EMEA – a progression that reflects the combination of broad and deep technical skill sets in combination with the strategic perspective that she brings for clients, as well as for PwC internally.
“PwC has a very open, friendly culture. We’re always focusing on delivering sustainable outcomes for and with our clients, with high quality standards at the same time. And we do this by growing very open relationships, and by always respecting each other, regardless of the ways in which we may be different from each other.”
Susanne readily admits that when she joined the PwC Germany she was in the minority in terms of gender: she was the first female partner in the firm's Technology Consulting practice, and is currently the only woman on the PwC Advisory management team. But she stresses that PwC Germany’s gender balance is heading in the right direction, and her role is a catalyst for bigger change to come. She also believes the PwC Germany’s inclusive culture provides an ideal environment for women to realise their full potential.
The opportunity to help more women follow in her footsteps excites Susanne enormously. She sees herself as a “caring fighter”, passionate about technology and loves being a role model for new leadership styles and more diversity at the management level. So she’s delighted to be showing the way for women considering careers in tech, whether at PwC or elsewhere – and is eagerly looking forward to seeing the proportion of women rise further. With this in mind, she’s proud that she’s leading by example: her own team is very diverse, not just in terms of gender, but other dimensions of diversity as well, helping to “change the culture and drive it forward.”
“I think it’s very important to have more women choosing technology as a career. Today we’re all in a very disrupted environment, and we have the opportunity to drive change in so many ways – including using tech to improve our personal lives and our economic environments, to make the world a better place. I think women have a great opportunity to lead this change. There are so many doors open, and women can and should step through them now.”
In her personal life, Susanne is a country girl at heart. Having spent much of her career living and working in cities, she now lives with her husband on a former farm in the countryside, where she rides and breeds horses, and keeps dogs and chickens. She’s even a dab hand at driving the John Deere tractor they keep on their land. A female role model in farming as well as technology!
LIGHTNING ROUND: quick questions and quick answers
From your experience, how do you sum up Inclusion & Diversity at PwC?
In a word, PwC’s culture is respectful. It's a culture based on relationships where you as a woman feel comfortable and at home.
What should others know about PwC’s commitment to Inclusion & Diversity?
Improving I&D is something we all do together.
