René Carrillo

René Carrillo is EY Netherlands Private Markets Leader and Program Leader of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year. With his entrepreneurial mindset and broad network, he brings the right stakeholders together to accelerate growth and innovation. He connects entrepreneurs, family businesses, and scale-ups with the ecosystems that help them succeed. For René, entrepreneurship is the driving force behind innovation and societal progress.

René joined EY at the age of eighteen, embarking on an early, practice-oriented, and entrepreneurial career path: from audit to consulting and advisory—driven by a desire to broaden his knowledge and connect capabilities. His experience in Banking & Capital Markets and strategic transformation gives him a broad and sharp perspective. His career path reflects his entrepreneurial mindset and his ability to achieve results creatively and effectively within EY. René enjoys thinking outside the box, mobilizing people, connecting ecosystems, and making the seemingly impossible possible. Genuine connection is central to his approach; over the years, some entrepreneurs have even become close friends.

How René is shaping the future with confidence

“I believe that many of today’s and tomorrow’s challenges are solved by entrepreneurs. I see this every day in my conversations: someone with a dream, a problem that requires action, or an opportunity that no one else sees. That’s why I focus on connecting ecosystems: from family businesses and start-ups to investors, corporates, and policymakers, to create new opportunities. Through EY Private, EYnovation, and EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, we build initiatives like the Social Impact Award, which drive societal impact. That energizes me: collaborating on growth that matters. For me, that includes having ‘skin in the game’: actively participating, investing in relationships, and taking shared responsibility for progress.”