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Lama Tiavo

Lama is the first Pacific woman to complete the Women of Colour Executive Leadership Program and is using the skills she learned to advance her career and uplift other Women of Colour alongside her.

Lama Tiavo, Women of Colour Executive Leadership Program participant

Lama is a Commercial Strategy Manager at Deloitte Australia and leads the New Business Advisory function in Deloitte’s National Commercial Office. Her work focuses on commercial strategies, methodologies, and analysis for large and complex deals across the business.

What inspired you to apply?

It was the first of its kind in Australia - a program for Women of Colour designed and delivered by Women of Colour. I had never heard of it before and I thought, ‘this sounds pretty exciting’, and I want to be a part of it as a Woman of Colour aspiring to be an executive in my career. I was born in Samoa, raised in New Zealand and now call Australia home. I am one of the leads that founded and started our Pacific Community at Deloitte Australia, launched in 2023 and part of the Race & Culture working group alongside our Reconciliation Action Plan.

What has been the biggest take away message for you?

The session run by Mahana Culture - for the first time in my working life, I was taught to use Aboriginal and Pacific based concepts and learned to apply these to transforming projects and cultures. Another highlight was the one-on-one coaching, including customised guidance and 360-degree feedback, which was applied throughout our work.

How has this program helped you pursue your career goals and aspirations?

It has encouraged me to be more active in the Race & Culture diversity space by using the Design Transformative Cultures and Adaptive Challenge frameworks. My hope is to play my part and create opportunities for other Women of Colour and for future generations. It has also inspired me to continue pursuing my career goals and aspirations.

Read other participants’ experiences

Equality

Elizabeth Reynolds

The Women of Colour Executive Leadership Program closely aligns with Elizabeth’s career goals and redefined her approach to leadership, making inclusivity and diversity central to her professional ethos.

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Arshin Zaman

The Women of Colour Executive Leadership Program perfectly aligns with Arshin’s passion of working towards improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering industry.

Equality

Devika Kumar

With the Women of Colour Executive Leadership Program, Devika rediscovered and embraced her authentic self at work, in her leadership style and in her daily life.

Equality

Sana Aziz

The insights that Sana gained through the Women of Colour Executive Leadership Program have empowered her to effectively advocate for herself in the workplace.

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Stella Loong

Since completing the Women of Colour Executive Leadership Program, Stella now feels she is part of a sisterhood with her fellow participants and has a lifelong support network around her.

Women of Colour Executive Leadership Program

This program is designed for Women of Colour including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, who currently hold or aspire to hold senior leadership roles in their workplaces.

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Equality

Updated 12 January 2026

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