Barbara Adachi was the chief executive for Deloitte’s Human Capital Consulting Practice from 2010 until her retirement in 2013. In this role, she served on the Deloitte Consulting LLP Executive Committee and was responsible for business strategy, P&L, talent recruitment and development, and delivery of HR consulting services across the practice. Barbara was responsible for the P&L performance and operations of a nearly $1B practice covering the US, Mexico and US India with over 3,000 practitioners. The practice experienced 43% top-line growth and 41% bottom line growth under her leadership since late 2010. During her tenure, Barbara launched a new growth strategy and completed two successful acquisitions in HR transformation and talent management. Barbara joined Deloitte in 1990 to start the Bay Area Human Capital practice in San Francisco, was promoted to Principal in 1995 and became the Western region leader in 2001 and Chief Talent Officer from 2008-2010.
From an industry perspective, Barbara specializes in health care strategy and cost management. Concurrent with her leadership roles, she continued to actively serve clients including the University of California system, one of the largest employers in the state where she served as the Lead Client partner for over a decade. Working with large employers/purchasers including CalPERS for over 25 years, she has also consulted to several large health plans around market strategy and product design. She has worked extensively with the large employers and purchasing coalitions to develop their health plan strategy focused on optimizing plan design, contribution approach and health care cost management techniques, including in-depth financial analyses and pricing/contract negotiations. She brings both industry and consulting expertise to her clients – working in the health insurance industry prior to joining Deloitte with underwriting experience and as a regional manager overseeing claims operations, sales and customer service for a large Blue Cross/Blue Shield health plan. In addition to her health care expertise, Barbara consults with large organizations around talent strategy, talent management and workforce analytics.
Barbara also served as the National Managing Principal for Deloitte LLP’s award-winning Women’s Initiative (WIN) from 2007 to 2012, reporting to Barry Salzberg, US CEO. In this role, she built on the notable foundation of WIN, which Deloitte started 22 years ago, to drive marketplace growth and innovation through diversity. During her tenure, Deloitte LLP received its second Catalyst award in 2010, which honors organizations who have implemented groundbreaking strategies and programs to advance women. Under her leadership, Deloitte achieved a significant milestone of 1,000 women partners, principals and directors (PPDs) compared to 1993 with 97 women PPDs when WIN was launched. Viewed as an expert in diversity in the workplace, Barbara has had over 50 external speaking engagements since 2008, including appearing on Good Morning America in December 2010.
Barbara currently serves on the boards of Vision Service Plan (Board Committee), TalentGuard, Inc., the Clayman Institute at Stanford University and the International Women’s Forum. She recently completed a 3-year term as a board member of the Girl Scouts of the USA and a 7-year term with the American Heart Association. Barbara served on the Deloitte Consulting LLP Board from 2004-2012 and served on the Deloitte Consulting Executive Committee from 2010-2013. She has served on numerous succession committees at Deloitte including the US Nominating Committee in 2004 and 2010 and the Elected Leaders Succession Committee from 2009-2013.
Barbara has been named one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Business” by San Francisco Business Times for 10 years, from 2003 through 2012. Barbara was also named “Women Worth Watching in 2009” by Profiles in Diversity, received the 2012 Girl Scouts Forever Green Award and the 2009 Asian Women in Business Leadership Award. Barbara recently received Consulting Magazine’s Women’s Leadership Award in November 2012.
Barbara graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1972.