Our global approach

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Globalisation is shaping our world: it’s expanding horizons as trade, technology and investment increasingly connect countries and companies around the globe; and it’s compressing time and distance as people and products move – and ideas spread – faster than ever before.

At Ernst & Young, we have long thought that globalisation is one of the defining issues of our time. Our response has been to transform our organisation so that we keep in step with the changing needs of our clients and our people.

Our Locations

Our clients need integrated, cross-border service and the same high quality wherever they do business around the world. Our people want to build careers in an organisation that’s global in its outlook and inclusive in its approach.

Our global structure

Our structure is composed of the Executive and Regions. The Executive includes our global leadership, governance bodies and our four geographic Areas. Working together they oversee our global strategy, brand, business planning, investments and priorities. Our four service lines are represented and enabled by the four functions of Markets, Operations, People and Risk.

Our 29 Regions are grouped under four geographic Areas.

  1. Americas: Our Americas Area comprises 11 Regions and over 50,000 people. The workplace culture of the Americas Area is regularly recognised by organisations such as the Great Place to Work Institute and Universum, which frequently place Ernst & Young near the top of their lists for countries across the region.
  2. Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA): Our EMEIA Area brings together more than 81,000 people from 12 Regions across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. Creating EMEIA cemented our reputation as the most globally integrated organisation in our field.
  3. Asia-Pacific: Asia-Pacific brings together more than 29,000 people across five Regions. We believe that much of our clients’ and our own future growth will come from the region and our Asia-Pacific Area will enable us to better serve clients looking to invest in or grow across the region.
  4. Japan: Our Japan Area employs more than 6,500 professionals and works with many of Japan’s best-known companies across the financial, manufacturing and electronics sectors. It also acts as the hub for our Japan Business Services network — nearly 350 Japanese-speaking professionals based in 60 cities around the globe who serve Japanese clients operating overseas.

This structure is streamlined allowing us to make decisions quickly, execute our strategy and provide exceptional client service wherever in the world our clients do business.

Our global structure means we can respond faster than our competitors. We can access the right people and assemble high-performing teams to deliver exceptional client service worldwide.

So we’re not merely a loose collection of national practices – we are a global organisation, unified in our approach.

Inclusive borderless teams

As the most globally integrated organisation in our field, we seek to develop a global mindset in all of our people.

We have seen that a work culture committed to diversity and inclusiveness drives our ability to think globally. Our leaders are accountable for building that culture – for setting goals, developing actions and monitoring results, and engaging clients and thought leaders.

Learn more about our leaders and our four Areas.