Karen Werger
Partner, Valuation & Modeling, M&A, Deloitte Canada
We are the women in M&A. We navigate complexity and bring businesses together to build stronger futures. We define strategies and unlock value. We understand risk and reward and make historic deals happen. We see problems differently and solve them uniquely. We imagine new possibilities, establish trust, drive growth, and find solutions to the most pressing issues facing our clients and communities to shape a better tomorrow. We need more like us. We need more like you.
“I feel like I'm making the biggest impact when I help to develop extraordinary and diverse leaders, all while growing the advisory side of our business.”
Meet Karen. She is the global leader for the Valuation & Modeling (V&M) practice. In this role, Karen serves as a member of numerous leadership teams including Global Financial Advisory (FA), Global Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), and the Canadian FA leadership team. Karen helps shape the strategic direction for the FA and the V&M practices worldwide and is passionate about helping clients solve their most complex problems.
Valuation enable clients to determine an asset’s worth, whether it’s a business interest, an intangible asset like a brand, or a tangible asset like real estate. “Our clients may be entering into a transaction to purchase or sell an asset, and they'll come to us to help them figure out what the value of that asset is,” explains Karen. With inflation, rising interest rates, increased geopolitical risks, and supply chain disruption, valuations are increasingly challenging. “Some see valuations as almost too hard to get right, but we see them as something that’s too important to get wrong,” she says. “Valuation is the heartbeat of a business and it’s at the core of every decision that our clients make.”
Looking back over her 20 years with Deloitte, Karen notes that working as a woman in valuation and modeling was a bit lonely in her early years. “I was very fortunate to have been surrounded by an amazing and inclusive group of mentors, sponsors, and colleagues,” she says—although most of them were men. However, in the last five years alone, the number of female partners in V&M and FA has doubled. Today, almost 50% of leadership roles in Financial Advisory in Canada are held by senior female leaders at Deloitte.
As the co-founder of Deloitte Canada’s Women’s Impact Network, the business case for diversity is crystal clear to Karen. “We don’t question the value of things like innovation or sustainability, so why are we questioning the value of fostering an inclusive culture, and embracing all forms of diversity?” She encourages people to join Deloitte because she knows first-hand that this is a “place where we put our people first and where we are committed to inclusion and to developing extraordinary leaders.”
“There are opportunities to work with incredible people on exciting, impactful engagements that give back to the community and make a difference for our clients,” she says. “You can truly learn so much and carve out your own career and your own journey.”
We need more like Karen.
We need more like you.
