The Rugby World Cup has added accountancy firm EY to its roster of commercial partners. The practice which is now the third biggest in Ireland behind PwC and KPMG, has been unveiled as the official business adviser to the tournament primarily providing tax and advisory services.
Last month EY extended a mentoring relationship with Ulster Rugby which facilitates players in the province spending time in a mentoring relationship with senior partners of the practice. This is built on the ‘post playing’ practices established across the country by IRUPA.
“Professional sport is a powerful metaphor for business,” said senior partner Michael Hall announcing that relationship. “Facing fierce competition, building effective teams and developing both long and short term strategies are just some of the key areas where business and sport overlap.”
Competition within the accountancy field has strengthened in sport over the course of 2014 just as it has in terms of recruitment.
EY has hired 200 graduates in Ireland since the start of the year and increased revenues by 17%.
PwC has seen similar increases and has an established relationship with sport through support for the IRFU’s U20 team and in partnership with the GAA and GPA. Accenture is also involved in Rugby through its technology partnership with the RBS 6 nations while KPMG has stayed mostly to golf in terms of its own sporting passions.
All three have also been involved in a number of initiatives with Sport for Business including one major new series to launch this month.
Deloitte has built a successful sports advisory group and sport as a business has provided fertile ground as a driver of staff attraction as well to an extent of fee income.
EY also published global research last month on the power of sport within Women’s business networks with 52% of Women operating at C-Suite level within business having played sport through university compared to 39% in other management levels.
Sport also plays a key role in hiring with 75% of C-suite women respondents in the survey of 400 around the world saying that a candidate’s background in sport would influence a hiring decision vs only 58% in the wider group.
Read more about Sport for Business’ support for Women’s Sport.
