- EY — a global leader in assurance, tax, and advisory services — announced it appointed Steve Varley as its Global Vice Chair – Sustainability
EY, a global leader in assurance, tax, and advisory services, announced it has appointed Steve Varley as its Global Vice Chair – Sustainability — who will be reporting directly to Carmine Di Sibio, EY Global Chairman and CEO, effective July 1.
Varley is currently the EY UK & Ireland Regional Managing Partner and UK Chairman and will work across the four EY service lines to spearhead the overall EY global sustainability strategy and help EY clients adopt innovations and technologies that create long-term value by achieving environmentally sustainable growth.
And with the new role, Varley is going to be responsible for creating and driving policies and programs to help EY become a world leader in sustainable business solutions, practices, and operations. Plus he will also lead the overall environmental and sustainability strategy across the global EY organization, helping to reduce its impact on the environment along with its carbon footprint.
“Sustainability is one of the key defining issues of our generation and we believe EY has a significant contribution to make in addressing today’s environmental challenges, supporting EY clients and our communities, as well as our global organization. Steve brings a wealth of knowledge and a strong track record of delivering real change with governments, policymakers, EY clients, and people,” said Di Sibio. “This appointment marks an inflection point for EY; we are poised to leverage the 284,000 EY people and our vast ecosystem – of clients and communities across more than 150 countries – to continue to build a better working world. I look forward to working with Steve in this new role.”
Varley has 28 years of experience across professional services in this role. Since 2011, he has been the EY UK & Ireland (UK&I) Regional Managing Partner and UK Chairman where he focused on quality, sustainability, and innovation. And Varley contributed to the UK and Ireland becoming one of the top EY regions with the UK accounting for a total of £2.45 billion in revenues and more than 15,000 EY people, and Ireland representing €200 million and 1,400 respectively.
Under his leadership over the past 9 years, the UK&I region has achieved a cumulative growth of 75% and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.2%. And Varley has worked closely with UK regulators and worked with EY clients on pressing business needs, including Brexit and technological disruption. His efforts have led to a fully gender-balanced UK LLP Board, and more opportunities for minorities and non-degree school leavers.
Under Varley’s leadership, the UK firm reduced plastic consumption across all offices by removing over 7.7 million single-use plastic items and introducing renewable biogas heating and hot water in UK offices where it directly purchases its energy. And these efforts have attracted awards from the Institute for Workplace and Facilities Management and waste2zero.
Varley is also the UK Government’s Business Ambassador for the professional services industry and a member of Her Majesty’s Treasury’s Professional Services Council. Plus Varley has also been a member of the Business Advisory Group which has been responsible for advising two British Prime Ministers.
Going forward, Varley will continue as UK Chairman to help work with EY clients and other stakeholders, including regulators. And a successor for the EY Regional Managing Partner, UK & Ireland role, will be appointed in the coming months.
“We simply cannot stand still when it comes to protecting the environment and creating growth opportunities that are truly sustainable. I’m incredibly excited about leading this effort across EY to help drive progress towards a more sustainable future and build a better working world,” Varley explained.
