EY has today announced the appointment of six new Partners in its Leeds office, 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 come as part of a 10% increase in EY’s total Partner population in the UK.
The new Partners in Leeds are internal promotions and their roles reflect the diverse breadth of EY’s services, spanning Transaction Diligence, Audit, Markets and Business Development, Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy, and Consulting. Five of the six Partner appointments 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.
Tim West, EY’s Leeds Office managing partner (pictured), said: “The new partner appointments in Leeds 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 also particularly proud that each of our new Partners are internal promotions, marking our commitment to 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.”
New Leeds partners span a range of different sectors and service lines
Alexandra Fogal has been promoted to partner in Markets and Business Development. Alex has over 20 years’ experience working with businesses in the North region and joined EY in August 2020, after working in the corporate banking sector for 18 years. In her new role, Alex will continue to lead the Private North proposition in the market, working with clients across all sectors, while also continuing to grow the regional business and team.
Ben Coggin, who leads EY’s Transaction Diligence team in Yorkshire and the North East, has been promoted to Partner after 16 years with the firm. Ben’s time with EY has also included experience in both Sweden and London, the latter of which was spent in EY’s Technology and Media sector team. Ben returned to his hometown of Sheffield in 2018 and re-joined the Leeds office to help drive EY’s Strategy and Transactions efforts across the region, supporting the Digital and Technology focused business community across Yorkshire and the North.
Cara Clancy has over 13 years of experience in Audit and has been promoted to Partner. She has worked at EY since joining as a graduate. Cara works with listed and large private groups across a number of different sectors including most recently retail and construction.
Rachel Holmes joined EY 11 years ago as a Senior Consultant with a background in occupational psychology and change management. She has worked on a range of technology transformation projects in the government and infrastructure sector, and now specialises in policing. As a newly promoted Partner, Rachel now leads the change practice in EY’s UK policing business.
Georgina Knockton has nearly 17 years of experience in people consulting with EY and has been promoted to Partner. During her career, she has advised clients across a range of sectors including government and infrastructure, policing, telecoms, pharmaceuticals and automotive, gaining experience in the UK, Europe and Jamaica.
Anna Malcolm has been promoted to Partner in the firm’s technical accounting team after nearly nine years with EY. Anna has more than 20 years of experience in audit and technical accounting roles, having spent more than 10 years with KPMG, as well as just over a year in the retail sector with Morrisons before joining EY.
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 across the UK 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.
Tim West 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.”
