Leading by Example: Ethical Leadership Best Practices

Sharon L. Allen is Chairman of the Board of Deloitte LLP. As chairman of an organization with nearly $11 billion in annual revenues, Sharon's governance responsibilities include leading the efforts of the board to provide oversight and guidance to the management of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.Sharon's influence and governance responsibilities extend beyond her U.S. leadership roles. She is a member of the global board of directors of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, where she serves as the U.S. representative on the global governance committee and chairs the global risk committee.With 36 years of audit and consulting experience, Sharon works to ensure that Deloitte achieves its vision to be "the Standard of Excellence," and oversees the organization's relationships with a number of major multinational clients.Sharon is a member of the Women's Leadership Board at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and serves on the board of directors of Catalyst Inc., the national board of the YMCA, and the Autry National Center. She also served on the President's Export Council in Washington, D.C.A frequent speaker on governance, diversity, ethics, and workplace issues, Sharon has addressed such prestigious forums as Fortune Boardroom Reports, Forbes Executive Women's Forum, The City Club of Cleveland, the Dallas Friday Group, the Detroit Economic Club and the UN Economic Development Fund. She also has addressed major business schools including those at, Cornell, Duke, Notre Dame, the University of Illinois, Brigham Young University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Southern California.Frequently honored for her contributions to business and community leadership, Sharon has been named to Forbes list of "the 100 most powerful women in the world" for the past four years. Crain's NY Business cited her as one of the most powerful business women in New York and in 2008, she was once again named by Directorship as "one of the 100 most influential people in corporate governance." She received the "Making A Difference for Women" award from the National Council for Research on Women, has been named the Financial Women's Association's "Woman of the Year," received the Work Life Legacy Award from the Families and Work Institute, and earned the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Business Leader Award. Sharon was also named 2009 International Honoree by Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society.Sharon holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Idaho. In 2004, Sharon's alma mater presented her with an honorary doctorate in administrative science.