Linda Pawczuk named new Head of Deloitte Blockchain group
Big Four firm Deloitte has appointed Linda Pawczuk as the new Head of its US Financial Services Industry Blockchain group. Pawczuk steps into the role following the exit of former leader Eric Piscini, in order to pursue a start-up opportunity.
The allure of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), also known as Blockchain, has been strong in recent years, creating a flurry of activity among incumbent players, FinTech startups and academia. The technology, which underpins digital currencies like Bitcoin, offers a range of benefits, from lower costs to faster and more transparent operations. As a result, investment in Blockchain technologies continues apace. As it stands, banks remain confident in the future of the technology, with 80% of respondents of a recent Deloitte report anticipating they would initiate a DLT project by the end of 2017.
As businesses look to make the most of Blockchain, they generate heightened business opportunities for the consulting industry. As a result, firms of all shapes and sizes are looking to boost their Blockchain-related talent pool, in order to better cope with their growing workload in the field. This is particularly true of the Big Four, who are increasingly being tapped by clients to get the best from cryptocurrency, and the applications of Blockchain which derives from it. To this end, professional services giant Deloitte has confirmed its hire of a new lead in its US Blockchain practice.
After the departure of Eric Piscini from the role to join a startup project, Linda Pawczuk steps into the role. Formerly tasked with running Deloitte’s insurance sector Blockchain projects, Pawczuk also brings notable experience in talent and leadership development, and has served as dean of the Deloitte CIO Fellows Program and facilitated CIO transition labs for some of Deloitte’s largest clients.
As Head of the Deloitte US Financial Services Industry Blockchain group, Pawczuk will work on advancing Deloitte's Blockchain agenda. She will largely be tasked with creating new business models, disrupting existing business processes and harvesting the underlying technologies and ecosystem players, in order to build solutions with clients across multiple industries. In the future, the firm hopes to further use Blockchain as a route into other emerging technologies, including cloud computing and automation.
According to Deloitte spokesperson Chris Faile, "[Deloitte] envisions that this ever-evolving and nimble team will build upon our past success in helping our clients, which includes 92 percent of the financial service companies listed on the Fortune 500 list, to hone their Blockchain-backed offerings.”
Commenting on Eric Piscini’s exit from the firm, meanwhile, Faile added that Deloitte sees his move "as a testament to Deloitte's successful efforts" in helping its team gain experiences and skillsets. He added, "When you are seen as the market leader, it's inevitable that some leaders will decide to take on new challenges outside of the organisation."
Related: Deloitte appoints head of Europol as Senior Cyber Partner.
