EY evolves with the digital world
EY, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, is also focused on workplace innovation to help meet the challenges and needs of a swiftly evolving digital environment.
Digital disruption is changing businesses of all shapes and sizes across all sectors these days — and that includes professional services.
Kent Kaufield, managing partner, Energy, for EY in Canada, says the firm is not only evolving with the times, but also defining a new way of working in a digital environment.
“Over the past three or four years, we’ve changed how we hire people depending on which service line we’re speaking of.
“Across the country about 45 per cent of our Campus Advisory hires were STEM students for 2018 start dates, as opposed to traditionally coming from a commerce or accounting background. We have more STEM students than we’ve ever had before,” says Kaufield.
“Auditors aren’t going to be just auditors. You’re going to have data architects. You’re going to have data analysts in there. You might have an engineer in there.
“We’re thinking about how disruption happens, starting with our people. So we hire different people to bring in more diverse thinking, to bring in different angles on how you address risk, how you address compliance, how you address reporting.
“We still have all the great resources we’ve had with respect to accounting and auditing and taxation, the traditional things EY does. But bringing in different skills so that we can look at things from a different lens — a digital lens.”
That trend started about five or six years ago for the company that has been in business in Canada for 150 years with offices across the nation, including in a new space at the Calgary City Centre skyscraper.
Kaufield says the company is making changes to stay ahead of the market in processes and methodology. It’s becoming much more digitally based and it’s training people to stay current.
“We’re constantly evolving. We’re constantly learning. That’s part of being a professional. You can’t do things you did 20 years ago and expect them to stay the same. You’ve got to stay ahead. And how we use technology is embedded in everything we do. But it’s also embedded in how we work,” he says.
EY has a unique and innovative workplace concept known as EY@Work. No offices are assigned as the partners work with staff out of cubicles. This leads to a higher level of teamwork, offering more diversity and inclusivity in how people think — a much different environment from the workplaces of the past. Also, all the meeting rooms have the latest and the best in technology so staff can be more efficient and productive.
Diversity and inclusivity are also hallmarks of EY’s hiring practices.
“We’re committed to gender diversity and hiring,” says Kaufield, adding that the initiative helps them give clients the best possible solutions for their needs.
Auditors aren’t going to be just auditors.”