EY has revealed plans to double the size of its UK and Ireland consulting practice in the next four years, backed by £75m of investment.
The investment is in addition to the £95m that EY has already invested in its consulting practice since 2020.
The growth plans will see EY Consulting in the UK and Ireland increase headcount from 5,100 to around 10,200 people by 2026. More than half of the new roles will be based outside of London, in cities including Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Birmingham.
The new recruits will reinforce the firm’s existing strengths in finance, risk, supply chain, change management, cultural transformation, and strategy, and boost skills in areas including SAP, Microsoft, ServiceNow, cloud, data analytics, and cyber.
According to EY, the expansion is being fuelled by increasing demand from clients implementing large scale, strategic transformation programmes, enabled by technology, data, and people. To fuel its growth, EY will be recruiting across all levels, from partner level through to graduates and school leavers.
Alison Kay, EY UK and Ireland managing partner for client service, is spearheading EY’s growth plan in the UK and Ireland. She said: “In recent years, organizations in both the public and private sector have been grappling with a convergence of challenges, from the global pandemic, climate change, geo-political uncertainty, and operating in a post Brexit world. At EY, we are investing heavily to upskill and expand our workforce, to meet the demand from businesses embarking on transformation projects, to ensure they remain competitive, keep pace with change, and navigate ongoing market challenges.”