Gretel's story starts in Venezuela, a country rich in culture and tradition, where she spent the first fifteen years of her life. However, faced with the challenging state of her home country, she set sail to explore the world and quickly found that this step was the first of many that lead to building a bridge to cultural understanding and expansion of her view on the world, but especially people. ‘I come from a part of Venezuela in which religion is still a big factor, and sometimes when I was growing up and sitting up in church, I felt a bit unformattable, because I was not always agreeing with what I was hearing. For example, how terrible life gets for woman when you divorce your husband,’ Gretels adds. ‘However, when I left Venezuela, my world started expanding and the bubble had burst. I began exploring and identifying myself and this became an important part of understanding different people.’

Broadening Horizons Before Deloitte, Gretel did her time at a non-profit foundation that's all about cultural diversity. While formally employed at the cultural diversity foundation, Gretel also volunteered for the foundation aiding girls in the red-light district. This foundation addressed significant issues, ranging from supporting girls in the red-light district to exploring ways to transition them out of that environment. It was Gretel's job at the foundation around cultural diversity and from attending events around impact investment that lit a fire in her, eventually pushing her towards Deloitte's doors. For Gretel, being an ally isn’t just a title; it's more like a moral duty. It’s not just about raking in profits but also making sure everyone feels good in the workplace. She’s seen the power of diversity in the inclusive streets of Amsterdam, and she’s determined to bring that vibe to Deloitte. Gretel's personal philosophy is simple yet profound. ‘As long as you are not harming anything or anyone else, you should be able to do anything you feel or think,’ Gretel says. This philosophy has always been there, and it also relates to the nature of the way Gretel does her work and connects with people.

A Ripple Effect ‘It is not entirely clear to me how I identify exactly. When you grow up in an environment that is black and white, and you are suddenly confronted with a rainbow full of bright colors, it kind of leaves a mark,’ Gretel mentions. Gretel's journey into allyship is driven by a profound understanding of the struggles faced by those whose identities and orientations differ from societal norms as being aromantic, asexual or pansexual – just to name a few. Her commitment to learning and supporting her LGBTQ+ colleagues at Deloitte is fueled by an intrinsic desire to contribute to a workplace that respects and values every individual. Gretel envisions Deloitte not just as a workplace with internal policies supporting diversity, but as an organization that influences clients to adopt similar values. Education, visibility, and understanding become crucial elements in creating an environment where everyone feels empowered to be their true selves.

Active Participation and Beyond ’I became an ally because I wanted to understand more around the topic. A very accessible but highly educational way to get information was to sign up for our internal Proud Newsletter and subscribe to the Proud Channel on Daily,’ Gretel highlights. Participating in initiatives like the Pride Parade, Gretel actively makes LGBTQ+ topics visible within and beyond Deloitte's walls. She emphasizes the importance of physically showing up to demonstrate the organization's commitment to caring for its people. She acknowledges the inevitability of bias and colleagues might think it might be something not meant for them. But emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for one's biases and actively working to prevent their impact on others.

Proud at Deloitte We are all unique. Each of us is different from the rest. Deloitte offers an inclusive working environment in which there is room for differences. All these different colleagues represent many dimensions of diversity. We are convinced that we can best help our customers with a diversity of colleagues. Read more about Proud at Deloitte [/proud-at-deloitte]