Dean Reinemund to Speak at E&Y Event

Ernst & Young LLP will host more than 100 minority students from 58 U.S. colleges and universities at the firm’s 5th annual all-expense-paid Discover Tax event in New York from Jan. 5-7. The firm will also host its 3rd annual Campus Diversity & Inclusiveness Roundtable for key faculty and administrators from top undergraduate business programs.

The roundtable, set for Jan. 5-6, will feature a dialogue with Steve Reinemund, Dean of Business at Wake Forest University and a former CEO of PepsiCo. He is also a director at American Express Company, Exxon Mobil Corp., Marriott International Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Reinemund will share how he leverages his past experience as CEO of PepsiCo to enhance diversity and inclusiveness at Wake Forest.

The roundtable will also feature more than 30 faculty, deans, accounting chairs and administrators, who will discuss and share leading practices regarding diversity issues facing today’s undergraduate business programs. Topics discussed during the roundtable will include the business imperative for increased diversity, creating an inclusive culture, and strategies on leading and encouraging diversity and inclusiveness in the business school.

“There’s no question that diversity is an advantage in today’s global business environment,” said Ken Bouyer, Ernst & Young’s Americas Director of Inclusiveness Recruiting. “Given this reality, we are determined to continue a dialogue with business faculty to help them prepare students for the global workplace.”

During a panel discussion at the roundtable, three past winners of Ernst & Young LLP’s Inclusive Excellence Award for Accounting and Business School Faculty will share their successes and challenges around advancing diversity and inclusiveness on their campuses.

The three-day Discover Tax event consists of panels, hands-on learning activities, networking events and opportunities to speak one-on-one with Ernst & Young leaders. After the conference, attendees are eligible to interview for internships with the firm. To date, more than 70 percent of Discover Tax participants have been given internship offers, with a 90% acceptance rate. For more information, visit (www.ey.com/us/discovertax).

“Introducing diverse students to the tax profession early in their college careers is critical to attracting more minorities to the profession,” said Chris Yamamoto, Ernst & Young’s Tax People Leader. “Our people and their diverse perspectives are key to meeting our clients’ needs and this has only grown in importance as businesses have increased their geographic reach. The Discover Tax event has helped us recruit and strengthened our diverse talent pipeline.”

Since its launch in January 2007, Discover Tax has helped Ernst & Young increase the number of minority campus hires for its tax practice: underrepresented minority campus hires have increased from 11% to 16%. Minority partners and staff now represent 30% of Ernst & Young LLP’s total US employee population—more than double the representation a decade ago.