Daniella Levitt is an agile, proven executive who drives transformational change and growth by establishing innovative and sustainable business strategies and connecting them to organizational culture and the development of talent at all levels. In addition to her leadership expertise, Daniella has deep expertise in human capital, business technology, regulatory and compliance, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Daniella’s areas of application extend to AI, digital transformation, and the future of work – integrating people, processes, policy, governance, technology and data, and supporting leaders on navigating the complexities of AI and its impact on culture, leadership and talent. She is also deeply committed to helping organizations navigate the DEI divide in the constantly evolving and complex landscape. Her holistic thinking and exceptional relationship and collaboration skills with both clients and team members means she is a highly effective voice of change and transformation to create vastly different possibilities for organizations along with continuing to realize the full potential of their people.

Daniella is currently Outgoing Executive Director & Advisor for Leading Women Executives (LWE) at Corporate Leadership Center, where she reports to the CEO and engaged directly with the Board. From 2017 to 2024 Daniella held the Executive Director role, cultivating dynamic business leaders through LWE’s best-in-class executive leadership program. She oversaw all aspects of LWE including strategy, business development, operations and collaboration with world-class academics and business advisors. She moved LWE from operating at a net loss to profitability in her first year and drove revenue increases of 30+% starting in year two. LWE continued to grow under Daniella’s leadership, with the program doubling participation by 2022 with a further 40% revenue increase. Daniella oversaw LWE’s Fellows engagement strategy and hosted the LWE podcast series, ‘A Seat at the Table’. She regularly moderated discussions with C-Suite leaders. Outside of LWE she speaks on panels, delivers keynotes and runs workshops. She also teaches in the LWE program as a faculty member on the topic of ‘Storytelling as a Key Communication Skill for Executive Leaders’.

Daniella has deep consulting expertise, starting at Anderson Consulting in Johannesburg focusing on ERP SAP technology and human capital transformation initiatives. After moving to the US in 1996, Daniella rapidly moved through ranks of Deloitte Consulting, pivoting multiple times from Human Capital to Technology, from ERP to CRM, and across industries. She spearheaded large, diverse, global teams for highly complex transformation efforts that always exceeded client expectations. She consistently realized profitable financial outcomes that exceeded original targets. She developed people, teams and capabilities to generate a new revenue stream; grew the Midwest Customer Relationship Practice revenues from $10M per annum to $60M per annum in three years; co-led the National Healthcare Customer Relationship Management Practice; and orchestrated eminence building activities in the marketplace. After eleven years, Daniella joined Aon Consulting in 2007 as a Senior Vice President. She was the Local Area Practice Lead for Health and Benefits Large Case Clients, focused on growth and development of a new business offering within Human Capital – Organization Performance and Implementation, influenced new strategic partnerships for DEI, and headed up the Chicago Consulting Women’s Initiative Network.

In 2008 Daniella founded Ovation Global Strategies to provide consulting and program management services for HR, customer servicing, complex regulatory, technology and operational transformational change initiatives. She worked closely with a number of financial services clients that were navigating becoming compliant with HAMP and CFTC Dodd-Frank regulations. With a reputation of solving complex business problems and balancing strategy and vision with execution, clients sought her leadership to establish a roadmap for change, craft elegant solutions, and rapidly mobilize, build, organize, motivate, and navigate teams through execution across strategy, process, technology, and people; and to build bridges between business, technology, legal and compliance, and HR. She launched a second set of services and program offerings focused on development and advancement of women in the workplace and cross-generational collaboration strategies; and in 2014 she authored “Ready, Set…Risk!”, a book about women and risk taking in their lives and careers. Daniella has frequently been engaged for speaker services.

Daniella operates on a life philosophy that without taking risks, one cannot drive change for oneself or for others. This is reflected in her work and in how she engages in community impact. She is on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of Illinois, Greater Chicago Chapter. Prior Boards include the Anti-Defamation League, Access Community Health Network, and the Chicago Sinfonietta.

Daniella is passionate about physical fitness and coaches cycle and aqua classes, and enjoys hiking and being outdoors. She is an avid reader and a self-driven learner. She loves exploring different countries, cultures and food with her husband Steve. Daniella recently achieved an executive education certificate in ‘Artificial Intelligence: Business Strategies and Applications’ from the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley. Daniella graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), Johannesburg, South Africa with a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Business Information Systems, Marketing and Finance. She completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Management Business Administration at WITS Business School, winning Student of the Year Award and graduating with distinction top of the Dean’s list.