EY announces appointment of new Financial Services Managing Partners in Germany and Belgium

• Ralf Eckert appointed to lead EY Financial Services in Germany
• Yannick Grécourt appointed to lead EY Financial Services in Belgium 

EY announces the appointment of two new Managing Partners to lead the Financial Services businesses in Germany and Belgium, effective 1st July 2023.

Ralf Eckert will take over from Thomas Griess, who has led EY Financial Services in Germany since 2019 and will retire from the partnership later this year following the standard four-year tenure in the leadership role. Yannick Grécourt will take over from Benoit Gerard, who has led EY Financial Services in Belgium since 2020 and will transition to the role of EY EMEIA Financial Services Strategy & Transactions Leader on 1st July 2023.

Born and raised in Germany, Ralf Eckert is a qualified German tax accountant with over 25 years of international financial services experience in industry and within professional services. Ralf currently leads EY EMEIA Financial Services Tax and Legal services, where he has achieved strong and sustained annual growth since his appointment in January 2021. Prior to this role, Ralf led the Tax and Legal offerings for EY Banking services. Prior to joining EY, Ralf had senior roles at Credit Suisse and UBS.

In his new role, Ralf will lead 142 partners and over 1,750 people, as he looks to deliver the next chapter of EY growth in Germany.

Based in Brussels, Yannick Grécourt is currently the Consulting and Digital Service Leader for EY Financial Services in Belgium. Yannick has both broad and deep knowledge in strategic digital and data-led transformation and is skilled at developing innovative, customer-centric products and services and approaches to regulatory compliance. Before joining EY in 2017, Yannick held senior roles in strategy and operations at Deutsche Bank in Belgium and remains a part-time lecturer in innovation at a business school in Brussels.

With the expansion of EY Financial Services in Belgium, Yannick will lead 27 partners and over 570 people.

Both Ralf and Yannick will play key roles in the EY EMEIA Financial Services Leadership Team.

Commenting on both appointments, Omar Ali, EY EMEIA Financial Services Leader, said: “It is with great pleasure that we will be welcoming Ralf and Yannick to lead two of our European financial services markets. They bring a wealth of industry knowledge and experience from their work within EY and for some of the world’s leading financial services firms. These are important leadership roles for our people and are critical in driving growth in our business, as we in turn support our clients to grow and transform their businesses through the current market volatility and disruption. I look forward to working with Ralf and Yannick.

“I would also like to pay tribute to Thomas for his outstanding leadership through challenging times, and wish him the best in retirement, and to Benoit, who we welcome to a new role in our EMEIA business.”

Commenting on his appointment, Ralf Eckert said: “It’s an honor to be asked to lead this outstanding team and build on some of the incredible work being undertaken. Like many European markets, the German financial services sector is operating in a challenging environment and undergoing enormous change and transformation. I’m very much looking forward to helping drive progress on this agenda with our clients. Our job is to continue supporting their goals, both tactical and strategic, whilst retaining a focus on delivering long-term value for them, our people and society.”

Commenting on his appointment, Yannick Grécourt said: “I am thrilled to be taking on this role and leading such a high-performing and talented team to drive digital-first growth and innovation for EY Financial Services clients in Belgium. Europe’s financial sector is dealing with challenging economics and geopolitical uncertainty, making it all the more important that we support clients to grow their businesses in increasingly sustainable, diverse and innovative ways. I look forward to helping drive progress in the industry.”