The numbers are moving in the right direction for professional services firm EY which embarked on a mission last year to double its workforce in Northern Ireland.
The growth, one of the most significant seen in the region in recent years, will see the firm grow to around 1,900 people over the next five years. At the same time, plans to establish a new hub in the Northwest to tap into the area’s immense talent pool and impressive levels of entrepreneurship are continuing at pace.
It’s an exciting time to be part of EY’s impressive growth journey, according to Lindsay Russell who is Audit Partner Lead at EY Northern Ireland. Co Armagh-native Lindsay, who describes herself as a “country girl at heart”, also leads the EY Audit Centre of Excellence team in NI which specialises in delivering audits to UK subsidiaries of some of the largest global clients of EY.
Reflecting on two decades
It’s been quite the 20 years for Lindsay who joined EY as a graduate in September 2004.
According to Lindsay, her parents were keen to ensure she “spent her school holidays wisely” adding: “As a result, I embarked on work experience in an accountancy practice in Armagh during school and university holidays.
“That was something I really enjoyed and it is where I first developed a strong interest in accountancy, as I realised it was about so much more than just balancing numbers.
“It was then and continues to be about problem solving, understanding how businesses work and communicating with people from all walks of life.
“A typical day might have included talking to a farmer in the morning and an entrepreneur in the afternoon and it was that breadth of communication and interaction with a really diverse group of people that provided me with a strong grounding but also set me off on the career path that I wanted to have.
“After university, I joined EY on a training programme before later receiving my professional qualifications,” added Lindsay.
“Since then, I have worked through all levels within EY and have been a partner in our audit business for six years now.”
AN EVOLVING LANDSCAPE
Reflecting on EY’s growth in Northern Ireland in recent years, Lindsay said: “The landscape has most certainly changed.
“When I started, we had 120 people in Northern Ireland across our service lines – Audit, Tax, Consulting and Strategy & Transactions – with 50 people in auditing. Today, we have more than 1,000 people in EY NI, with 240 talented professionals in Audit and nine Partners.”
For Lindsay, when you join a company like EY, “the world is truly your oyster” and even though it’s a large global organisation, “EY has all the mentality of a family-run business with people and clients at its core”.
A highlight for Lindsay is the opportunity to work alongside many exciting organisations in Northern Ireland ranging from household brands and entrepreneurs to family-owned businesses and multi-national organisations.
She continued: “The amount of insight and experience this gives me personally and professionally is something that would be very difficult to replicate outside EY or professional practice.”
Discussing the talent pool in Northern Ireland naturally leads to questions about plans for EY’s Northwest hub – another part of the company’s ambitious expansion programme.
“Our plan to open a hub in the Northwest is a great opportunity for us to make sure that we connect and reach out to talent in all corners of our country. This regional hub will allow us to reach a much wider pool of prospective talent and of course, clients.”
Innovation and expansion
When asked about Northern Ireland’s high levels of entrepreneurship compared to its small population, Lindsay added: “Northern Ireland is an innovation hub with so many brilliant businesses across a range of sectors. Whether it is our work in Audit or through EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year programme – which is now in its 27th year on the island of Ireland – it’s a real privilege to be part of a journey for a company that is growing, scaling and doing exciting things.”
FUTURE-PROOFING
Clearly an ambitious and very much forward-thinking company, talk turns to EY’s adaptation in a digitally evolving marketplace and why professional auditing is more important now than ever before.
“Auditing is of course underpinned by regulation,” explains Lindsay.
“But it’s so much more than just regulation alone. Auditing gives trust and confidence to market investors and banks that want to lend, to potential employees, customers and suppliers – they all look to financial statements to assess the health of an organisation – and as auditors we play a huge role in delivering this market confidence.
“The audits we deliver provide credibility and assurance over a set of numbers and disclosures in financial statements. It equips all potential stakeholders with the knowledge they need to understand how a company trades and what its plans are for the future.
“While the core skill set and insights demanded of an auditor have not changed in many years, the tools and technology that surround them have evolved beyond recognition.
“We want to do things in a way that’s efficient but also adds value to the business that we work with.
“So, we have moved to a digital audit process that meets the regulatory requirements but also adds value by helping companies see their business through a potentially different lens.
“Workplaces are always evolving; nothing stands still in our fast paced world and our profession is no different.”
A strong and diverse team
Lindsay speaks about the current “breadth of experience and skill set” of EY NI’s strong Audit practice.
“We currently have nine Audit Partners and one Data Partner,” she adds.
“Our strength also comes from how our people think – from diversity in gender, ethnicity and backgrounds. We are very lucky to have a strong and diverse Partner team that can bring the right skills and experience to clients.”
Moving to gender balance, something Lindsay admits looked quite different at the start of her two-decade career, she highlights “EY has almost 50 per cent gender parity within her team – statistics we are very proud of at EY”.
ENJOY A VARIED AND REWARDING CAREER
As EY continues its recruitment drive in Northern Ireland, what advice would she give to a prospective new joiner to EY?
“Embrace all the opportunities that may come your way and seek out those that don’t. It is a privilege to be part of such a large organisation that enjoys such a wonderful and varied client base.
“People are central to how we lead our business at EY – hence it is important that our people have rewarding career experiences and are given the opportunities to try new roles, move to other countries or work across a varied client base. We have a responsibility to ensure our teams are continuously learning and adapting to the ever changing business world.
“No two careers will be the same and nor should they be, but I firmly believe the audit profession and EY can provide a truly rewarding career, just as I have had. And as we look forward to increasing our team by another 1,000 people, that creates lots of opportunity for both those already working within EY and for potential new employees.
“When you join a team that is growing, exciting and dynamic, that creates a buzz. It’s a much more exciting place to be a part of.”
OPPORTUNITY TO GROW AND DEVELOP
“I have stayed in one firm for 20 years. Some people might see that as a very long time when at the start of their career journey, but time passes quickly and it has been humbling to have experienced tenure at all levels within EY,” adds Lindsay.
“Thanks to the variety and evolving nature of this role, travel opportunities and of course, the unique range of clients that we work with, it feels like I have had multiple careers in that time.”
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND FORWARD THINKING
Lindsay adds: “We are very conscious of the fact that the skill set we need for the future is evolving. We know there is a deep pool of talent right across NI and so we want to reach out to people who can provide a different input.
“At present we’re focused on investing in our Assured Skills Academies, which we are running in partnership with the Department for the Economy and Invest NI. The Assured Skills Academy Programme is open to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria, including graduates and those looking to upskill, advance their career, or return to the workplace.
“Northern Ireland is highly regarded as a centre of excellence for innovation. There are lots of strong reasons to invest here, and we are seeing those plans come to fruition.
“We have faith in the NI economy and faith in the talent across our communities. It’s not just words: it is action and it is absolutely justified.”
If you would like to find out more about Lindsay’s journey and what the EY Northern Ireland audit team can do for you, please contact Lindsay via ey.com/ie/LindsayRussell
