EY’s head of financial services in Scotland appointed to the firm’s UK board

EY has today announced the appointment of Sue Dawe, the firm’s Head of Financial Services in Scotland, to its UK LLP Board.

Ms Dawe will take up her new role on 1 September along with Christabel Cowling, as Eamonn McGrath and Alisdair Mann step down from the Board.

EY’s new appointments will mean that five of the 10 positions on its UK Board will be held by women (50 per cent), strengthening the diversity of the firm’s senior leadership.

Sue Dawe joined EY in 1988 and was appointed head of the financial services practice in Scotland and Edinburgh office managing partner in 2016, roles she will continue to hold in addition to her new position on the Board.

She has been an audit partner since 2009 and has more than 25 years of experience within the financial services sector, working with a large number of global organisations. She is also a member of Scotland’s Financial Services Advisory Board (FiSAB) and the Scottish Financial Enterprise High Level Strategy Group (SFE HLSG).

Christabel Cowling joined EY in 2002 and has spent the last four years as the chief operating officer for the UK Assurance business.

As an audit partner, she has extensive experience of advising multinational listed companies and has worked in EY’s Leeds, Birmingham, London and Washington DC offices. Her appointment to the Board will be as EY’s UK head of Regulatory and Public Policy. She will work alongside Eamonn McGrath, current UK head of regulatory and public policy, until the end of the year to enable a smooth transition.

Steve Varley, EY’s UK chairman said: “Christabel and Sue bring a wealth of experience and insight to the UK Board, having worked across a broad range of sectors and regions of the UK and advised an impressive list of clients.

“These appointments are a reflection of their skills and experience, but I’m also proud that we are adding to the diversity of our UK board, ensuring that we are able to draw on the widest spectrum of views. I’m confident that Christabel and Sue will further strengthen our leadership team and how we run our business.”

Eamonn McGrath will be retiring from EY in December after 31 years as a Partner and 41 years with the firm. He is an audit partner and has been UK head of regulatory & public policy and a member of the UK LLP Board for the last three years.

Following his appointment as EY, global vice chair, Treasury, Alisdair Mann will be stepping down from the UK LLP Board after eight years of service. Alongside his new Global Vice Chair responsibilities, Alisdair will continue to serve some of the firm’s largest financial services clients. He will also continue to lead EY’s managed services practice for financial services in Europe – a practice that he was at the forefront of forming five years ago.

EY UK chairman Steve Varley added: “I would like to thank Eamonn and Alisdair for their hard work, wise counsel and support. They have had a real impact on the business and on me personally, and I wish them the best of luck for the next phase in their careers.”