EY

EY RETAINS BIG 4 FIRM OF THE YEAR AWARD

Stephen Ntsoane (left) receives trophy from Wilfred Ngubane at the last event held in 2019

Leading full-service accounting and advisory firm EY has once again been recognised as the best Big 4 practice in the country for the 2019/2020 season. The accolade was granted by the SA Professional Services Awards sponsored by Sanlam and W. Consulting.

Stephen Ntsoane, Assurance Leader, received special commendation from the judges in the Big 4 Professional of the Year category.

Janette Minnaar, the chair of the adjudication panel explained how the winners were determined.

“Individuals were judged based on a host of attributes including demonstration of leadership skills, changing of paradigms and innovation within the bounds of available resources. We also conferred a number of Lifetime Achievement Awards to deserving recipients who had served their professions faithfully for many years,” said Minnaar.

The firm awards were based on the following criteria – business growth, customer service, technical excellence, contribution to the community, contribution to the profession, transformation record and commitment to ethics and professionalism. The criteria were not equally weighted, a strong showing in one category was sufficient to put the firm above the rest.

The judges of the Awards indicated that they continue to admire EY for a number of reasons including their recognition of entrepreneurs both locally and on the world stage. The firm continues to exhibit ethical execution of professional services within the accounting arena. Furthermore, EY scores highly in its contribution to the community through the NextGen programme and embracing transformation through the targeted 51% black ownership by the end of 2020. EY were also deserved winners in the Reporting Accountants category at the Dealmakers Awards 2019.

“As for Ntsoane’s commendation, it is impressive that at a fairly young age he has been tasked with heading the Assurance division which is the heart-beat and DNA of the organisation. He takes mentorship seriously, believing in story telling as a means to mentor young professionals within and outside of EY. His story is one of perseverance, from humble beginnings in Soweto studying through multiple universities and obtaining experience through a couple of firms to becoming a chartered accountant and partner of one of the world’s most recogniseable audit brands.”