Maria oversees Ernst & Young’s business unit that is the world leader in advising, guiding and recognizing entrepreneurs and high-growth companies. She advises clients who are focused on accelerating growth and achieving market leadership. With over 25 years of experience providing professional services to private and public companies, she has led more than 20 IPOs in three continents.

Maria is truly passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and is heavily involved in creating a support networks for them. She founded the Strategic Growth Forum, which convenes high-growth companies to share markets insights and expertise. She also oversees Ernst & Young’s renowned Entrepreneur Of The Year® program worldwide and founded Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women™, designed to accelerate the growth of high-potential female entrepreneurs.

Herb Engert leads our Strategic Growth Markets practice in the Americas, advising the full spectrum of dynamic, fast-moving and ground-breaking companies throughout the Americas. He has in-depth knowledge of the needs and complex issues of companies experiencing rapid growth. He is passionate about entrepreneurs and is actively involved with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Endeavor and The Kauffman Foundation.

Previously, Herb was a partner in the Transaction Advisory Services and Private Equity practice based in Washington, DC. He has worked with both private equity and corporate acquirers, and has extensive knowledge supporting the needs and challenges of private equity portfolio companies. He has supported clients with acquisitions, financing, integration, risk management and exit strategies.

Andrea has more than 21 years of experience in serving start up and mid-size emerging growth companies, including private equity and portfolio companies as well as multinational clients across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. Her clients cross a number of industries, including private equity, manufacturing, retail, and automotive as well as biotechnology, where she serves as the industry leader in the Netherlands.

Andrea also leads the Entrepreneur of the Year program for Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa and is known in global business circles for meeting with entrepreneurs and high growth companies on a frequent basis.

Ringo is the Asia Pacific Strategic Growth Markets Leader and also the Regional Managing Partner of China South of Ernst & Young. He has more than 20 years of IPO experience in China and Hong Kong and is an expert in providing capital market services in China. He has also helped more than 30 companies go public in US, HK and Mainland China. His IPO companies are in telecom, oil and gas, power, cleantech, hi-tech, entertainment, and health care industries.

Randy is Ernst & Young's Global Markets Leader for Strategic Growth Markets and has over 30 years of experience concentrating primarily on high-growth entrepreneurial and multinational companies which are private, private equity and venture capital backed and public.

He has been a leader of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program for over 20 years. Randy has also successfully launched SGM CFO roundtable events and IPO conferences in the Midwest USA. Randy's experience also includes significant international experiences in the Asia Pacific and Europe regions.

Peter led the Ruhr region offices of Ernst & Young GmbH from 2002 until 2010. He has also led and coordinated activities for Family Business at Ernst & Young Germany since 2004 and was appointed as Lead Partner for Strategic Growth Markets and Family Business in Germany, Switzerland and Austria in 2010. He was appointed as Global Leader for Family Business in 2011.

Alongside his extensive experience as a client serving Partner in the area of assurance and advisory business services for both, international and national companies, Peter supports subject matter experts and family-owned businesses in matters of succession and growth strategies and founded the Ernst & Young Junior Academy, a global program for young successors in family business.