Future Leader category winner Lisa Heneghan/Deloitte

Lisa Heneghan has not wasted time in making her mark in the world of consultancy. It is only five years since she was on the other side of the client-consultant divide. Indeed, it was while managing a major IT company’s relationship with its consultants that she began to think of becoming a consultant herself.

“I was dealing with such a broad group of highly capable people and seeing the difference they made for their clients. It made me think that it was something I would like to do, so when I got the chance I took it.”

Heneghan, 45, joined Deloitte and quickly rose to the point where she is now managing IT sourcing within the company’s technology practice. This involves leading a team of 40 as well as heading Deloitte’s IT outsourcing advisory services for retail banking. It is a testing role, not least because her career change coincided with some of the most difficult years faced by the banking sector.

“It has certainly been a challenging time for the financial services industry. But that is what we are here for — to help them to achieve the changes that they need to make.” This can involve guiding clients through some difficult choices, a task that involves diplomacy and tact.

“Ultimately, it is the client who must make the decision. My role is to help them to understand the options. For instance, outsourcing can be a difficult decision. But if there is a case for it and you can help the client’s staff to understand the benefits, you will gain their respect, so it can become a very positive thing.”

It was advice such as this that helped one of Heneghan’s clients to achieve savings of more than 22 per cent on a project involving the transfer of more than 300 staff. It also entailed the sale of the client’s data centre facilities and a shift to a more global IT model. Her most recently completed project resulted in the largest outsourcing of IT infrastructure in the UK this year. Heneghan led Deloitte’s team of up to 25 practitioners and an equivalent client team.

None of this would be possible without some carefully honed leadership skills. But Heneghan claims that much of her leadership style is simply a matter of getting the job done.

“I’ve never consciously made an effort to present myself as a leader,” she says. “I’ve tried to engage people, to bring out their own capabilities and talents. I firmly believe that everybody has the capability to add value. So it’s not about me. It’s about engaging with your team and your clients, developing positive relationships at all levels from the chief executive down.”

Heneghan cites Steve Jobs, the passionate Apple chief executive, as the leader she admires most. “As a leader you have to believe in what you are doing. I get immense pride from my work, I’m excited by it and I approach it with passion and enthusiasm. I hope that this passion and belief will pass on to the people I work with.”

However, Heneghan is careful not to let this enthusiasm spill over into overzealousness. At moments of high tension on a project, colleagues have become used to her bursting into song to keep up the team’s spirits.

“I’m not sure whether it helps to relieve the pressure or just encourages the team to finish quickly,” she says.

It was Heneghan’s no-nonsense approach to leadership that was particularly impressive, according to Paul Vincent, managing director of Insight Sourcing Solutions and one of the MCA judges.

“Lisa obviously has a lot of ambition and a clear vision of how to achieve it. She has a good feel for the market and seems to be very good at keeping everybody onside. That takes a degree of diplomacy. We were very impressed with how much she has achieved in a short space of time.”

On the prospect of winning the MCA award, Heneghan was typically self-deprecating. “It would be fabulous to be recognised for doing something that I have intuitively always felt is right, especially when measured against such a strong field of contenders.”

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