Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced today that Bill Strait has been appointed EY Americas Deputy Vice Chair, Assurance. He succeeds Tom Kornya, who remains on the Assurance leadership team to drive transformation efforts while also serving clients in his native Canada.
With 27 years of experience, Strait will help lead a $5 billion business, overseeing all aspects of the Americas Assurance strategy, including growth, quality, risk, talent, operations, brand and culture. His depth of experience serving EY clients and leading multidisciplinary audit teams equips him to strengthen EY’s focus on sustainable audit quality and targeted efforts in the US to:
- Champion a data-first mindset, combining leading-edge digital tools, stakeholder focus and enablement to support teams in leveraging data in all phases of the audit.
- Simplify and standardize the approach used by EY auditors and embrace emerging technologies to improve the quality, consistency and efficiency of the audit. This involves the application of EY’s Global Audit Methodology and the growing use of AI and blockchain.
- Drive innovation in recruitment, retention, learning and workload management to foster the skills and capabilities needed by audit professionals, both now and in the future.
From 2017 to 2020, Strait served as the Houston Office Managing Partner, leading the office’s nearly 1,800 employees and partners and competing in the market to deliver the firm’s full capabilities. In that role, he cultivated a high-performance culture through his willingness to collaborate, his empathy for and focus on others and his commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Esi Akinosho succeeds Strait as Houston Office Managing Partner, effective July 1, bringing 19 years of experience serving EY Houston’s business community and 28 years in Risk Advisory services to her new role.
Over his career, Strait has also served as the presiding partner for the Americas Advisory Council and US Partner/Principal Council and as a member of the EY Global Governance Council.
A Certified Public Accountant in the state of Texas and a graduate of Baylor University, he will continue to be based in the Houston office.
“Bill embodies all the attributes needed to be successful in his new role — trust, teamwork, accountability and the ability to maintain critical relationships among a wide range of stakeholders,” said Americas Assurance Vice Chair John King. “His distinguished track record reflects his strong client service ethic and audit-quality orientation as well as a practical and balanced mindset. He will continue to be a tireless champion for our people, our clients and the broader stakeholder community.”
“I’d also like to thank Tom for his enormous impact on our Assurance practice over the past three years.” King added. “His leadership helped initiate an ambitious transformation agenda, and he’s been a relentless champion for our people, audit quality and our profession.”
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This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member firm of EY serving clients in the US.
