EY strengthens North West business with nine new Partner appointments

EY has today confirmed the appointment of nine new Partners across its Manchester and Liverpool offices, as the firm continues to make significant investments in top talent to meet client demand and support the growth of the business. The new appointments are part of a 10% increase in EY’s total Partner population in the UK.

The new appointments include eight Partner promotions in Manchester and one Partner promotion in Liverpool. Their roles reflect the diverse breadth of EY’s services, spanning Technology and Business Consulting, Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy, People Advisory Services, Law and Global Compliance and Reporting. A third of the new Partners appointed in the North West are women.

Across the UK, EY has strengthened its partnership with 267 new appointments, of which 161 are internal promotions and 106 are external hires. This latest round of appointments has increased EY’s UK Partner population to 1,683.

Stephen Church, EY’s North Market Leader, said: “The new Partner appointments continue our investment in the region as we look to expand the range of skills and services we’re able to provide to clients. EY is on track for its third year of double-digit growth in the UK and these appointments put us in a great position to continue this trajectory in the years ahead.

“I’m particularly proud that our nine new Partners are internal promotions as we continue to focus on developing top talent. We want EY to be a place where everyone is able to achieve their potential and we’re focussed on building a pipeline of talent across all parts of the firm.

“I’m excited to see what our new Partners continue to achieve as they transition into their new roles.”

New North West Partners span a range of different sectors and service lines

 EY’s technology prowess in the North West continues to grow, with four of the firm’s newly-appointed Partners in the region holding roles with a focus on technology consulting.

Matt McCabe has been promoted to Partner after originally joining EY as a graduate in 2009. With a broad range of experience delivering technology-enabled transformation programmes, Matt has spent the last 10 years dedicated to Policing. As EY’s lead for Policing Technology, Matt will continue to focus on driving and expanding the growth of the sector within the firm.

Lee Brown joined EY in March 2019, bringing with him over 25 years of experience in the field of Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Previously, he spent 12 successful years in a similar role with Capgemini, further honing his expertise. Since joining EY, Lee has played a key role in developing the firm’s Analytics and AI practice, and he’ll now continue to focus on driving the firm’s growth in what he describes as an evolving and exciting field.

Ben Robinson joined EY as part of the acquisition of Information Technology consultancy AgilityWorks, where he ran the customer experience practice. Ben specialises in the Consumer Products and Retail sector, working with clients to deliver technology-enabled commercial transformation programmes.

Jon Spooner also joined EY three years ago as part of the acquisition of AgilityWorks and has recently been promoted to Partner. Jon has over 20 years of experience delivering technology-led transformation programmes, specialising in discrete manufacturing and asset management. He also runs the SAP Supply Chain and Architecture Practice within EY.

Hasan Ali is the founder and leader of EY’s Risk Innovation Hub. With over 15 years of industry experience, Hasan is experienced in leveraging emerging technologies to develop transformative digital solutions for clients. Hasan also has a passion for diversity and inclusion, actively sponsoring leadership initiatives and supporting digital apprenticeships.

Emma Bradshaw has been promoted to Partner in Manchester after 11 years with EY. During her time with the firm, Emma has taken on a variety of different roles including Transformation Delivery Recruitment Lead, North Local Public Sector Lead, and Infrastructure Communications and Engagement Lead. She is now the firm’s Regional Transport Lead, and works on large-scale, complex transformation programmes.

Sam Mills has been promoted to Partner within EY’s Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy practice after four years with the firm. With more than 16 years of experience in turnaround and restructuring, Sam now works across EY’s regional business.

After 20 years with EY, including two years as Head of Tax with a client, Emma Rayner has been promoted to Global Compliance and Reporting (GCR) Partner. Emma is based in EY’s Manchester office and has also worked in a number of tax roles in London, India and Switzerland. She now works with large clients on corporate tax compliance and advisory.

Victoria Barratt has been promoted to Partner in EY’s Liverpool office after nearly five years with the firm. Victoria is a qualified commercial lawyer and has experience of working both in-house and in private practice. With over 18 years’ legal experience she is part of EY’s Legal Operations team and works with clients on enterprise contracting through strategic optimisation programmes, legal managed services delivery and contract data digitalisation.

Earlier this year, EY also appointed Elizabeth Armstrong as an insurance Partner in Manchester. Elizabeth has been brought in to play a leading role in supporting UK insurance clients with global tax compliance and reporting activity. Across a career spanning more than twenty years to date, Elizabeth has built deep sector knowledge and expertise, enabling her to advise on complex taxation structuring as policy and legislation changes.

Last year, EY also brought in Ben Willis as a Partner in People Advisory Services in Manchester to help drive workforce advisory growth in the North of England. He works with clients across a range of sectors including Government and Infrastructure as well as Consumer Products and Retail.

Commitment to Diversity

As part of the firm’s commitment to accelerating its progress on diversity, equity and inclusion, EY has clear targets to increase the proportion of female and ethnic minority Partners in its UK business to 40% female and 20% from ethnic minority backgrounds (of which 15% will be Black) by July 2025. Targets and metrics are used to drive progress at all levels of the business and also form part of the annual performance scorecards for each business unit.

The goals are supported by targeted actions to help drive progress, including leadership programmes, mentoring and sponsorship schemes for both high potential women and ethnic minority employees. EY works with suppliers to ensure job candidates are diverse and continuously reviews proportionality in performance appraisals, promotions and work allocation across gender and ethnicity. EY also continues to invest in seven employee networks, including a 3,500 strong Women’s Network and a Race and Ethnicity Network, which provide professional development and help create a culture of belonging at EY.

Of the new Partners appointed this year, 33% are women and 28% are from an ethnic minority background, of which 7% (5 Partners) identify as Black / Mixed Black. The new appointments mean that EY’s total UK Partner population is now 28% women and 17% ethnic minority, of which 8% identify as Black / Mixed Black. This compares to 27% women, 15% ethnic minority and 8% Black / Mixed Black in the previous financial year.

Stephen Church added: “I’m encouraged to see the progress we’re making to increase the diversity of our Partner population, but we know there’s still a way to go. Building a diverse and inclusive culture is a top priority for EY and we’re taking targeted action to accelerate the pace of change.”