EY announces first graduates of virtual Tech MBA program

EY (@EYnews) has announced the first graduates of the world-first EY Tech MBA by Hult (@Hult_Business). 

The first cohort of graduates includes client-serving professionals from all four EY service lines: Assurance, Consulting, Tax, and Strategy and Transactions as well as professionals from other functions who provide services and support for EY teams. Reflecting the global reach of the qualification, the eight graduates represent EY teams based in Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the UK and the US and span a range of experiences and career stages.

Trent Henry, EY Global Vice Chair – Talent, says:

“There has been a huge amount of interest in the EY Tech MBA by Hult since it was launched last year and celebrating the first cohort of graduates is a fantastic milestone. It is a truly innovative program and the very first of its kind, an achievement that is all the more remarkable given that it was launched and has seen its first graduates in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every one of these graduates has demonstrated a real hunger to build the future-focused skills they need to serve clients, thrive in today’s workplace and unlock their individual contribution to building a better working world.”

The EY Tech MBA by Hult was launched in 2020 and it is available virtually and free of charge for all 300,000 EY people across more than 150 countries. It builds on the EY Badges program, through which EY people earn digital credentials in future-focused skills and then apply those new skills in practice.  The organization has awarded 100,000 EY Badges, a major milestone achieved in February this year, with badges covering a wide range of subject areas from AI (artificial intelligence) to robotic process automation, blockchain, diversity and inclusiveness and sustainable business practices.

Program participants acquire knowledge and apply experience in 16 topic areas before reflecting on and integrating their learning across the domains of Technology, Business and Leadership and completing a group project focused on a high priority challenge for EY. Overall, the EY Tech MBA requires more than 1,500 hours of learning and projects. It is awarded by Hult International Business School, which is regularly ranked as one of the top business schools in the world. The next cohort of graduates is expected in May.

Stephen Hodges, Hult International Business School President, says:

“I am very proud and excited to welcome the first graduates of the EY Tech MBA by Hult. Within this cutting-edge, corporate MBA program and in true Hult spirit, they have acquired relevant knowledge and developed new skills in technology, leadership and business acumen that they applied to solve big problems and highly practical business challenges. To stay relevant, employees and employers need to be ready to adapt to whatever the future holds; we’re looking forward to equipping many more EY people with the tools and skills to thrive in a world of rapid change.”

EY Tech MBA graduate Jennifer Greenhorn, Manager, Ernst & Young LLP, Canada, says:

“With a targeted focus on inclusive leadership and the power of technology in business, the EY Tech MBA by Hult offered the real-world experiential learning I was looking for to keep pace with the emerging practices needed to help deliver long-term value to EY clients. The program’s flexibility made it possible to not just balance but continue to achieve in both my career and personal life without putting anything on pause. The global connections and friendships I made with peers from the program were just as rewarding too.”

The graduates are:

• Sebastian Chlebicki, Consulting, Ernst & Young, Luxembourg
• Allan Douglas, Assurance, Ernst & Young LLP, United States
• Jennifer Greenhorn, Consulting, Ernst & Young LLP, Canada
• Dane Heilner, Strategy and Transactions, Ernst & Young LLP, United States
• Frank Putman, Tax, Ernst & Young LLP, The Netherlands
• Victoria Thorn, Ernst & Young LLP, United Kingdom
• Morne du Toit, Consulting, Ernst & Young, South Africa
• Rohit Singh, Ernst & Young LLP, United States