Corporate Spotlight: EY
October 13, 2022
Over the past few years, MENTOR has collaborated with the EY organization to place EY leaders on MENTOR Affiliate boards. Twelve EY professionals currently serve on Affiliate boards. This effort reflects just an aspect of the EY multipronged approach to investing in mentoring, which includes volunteerism, participating in nonprofit boards, sponsorship, thought leadership, and consultancy. As a result, Affiliate boards gain strong allies and financial support, while EY professionals more deeply engage in their communities.
The relationship aligns with EY corporate responsibility goals, which include increasing professionals’ skills-based contributions to their community in the focus areas of supporting the next generation workforce, working with impact entrepreneurs, and accelerating environmental sustainability.
We spoke with two of the EY leaders currently serving on MENTOR Affiliate boards about their experiences as board members and their insights on mentorship.
Nana Ahwoi
What is your name and title, and what board do you serve on?
Nana Ahwoi, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP’s Consulting practice. I have almost 20 years of experience in cyber, business, and IT risk management. I am differentially focused on clients within the health science and wellness sector and consult with clients to establish or refine their cybersecurity strategy, organizational structure, and operating models in alignment with business priorities.
I have been a MENTOR Minnesota board member since September 2021 and serve as the Program Committee co-chair.
The EY People Strategy outlines a vision for “A better me,” “A better us/EY,” and “A better working world.” Where do you see yourself in this vision? What is your sphere of influence?
My outlook on life has always been simple: how can I impact the world in a positive way while I am here? I was introduced to the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) early on in my career at Ernst & Young LLP (EY), and their motto, “Lifting as we climb,” epitomizes my life belief and value system. By getting involved with organizations like MENTOR Minnesota, our influence as an organization can be realized to help amplify their impact in the communities they serve.
Is this why you decided to become a board member at a MENTOR Affiliate?
When I reflect on my life journey, I can directly attribute my success to those who took time to coach, mentor, sponsor, and support me in my personal and professional life. My desire to give back to the communities in which we serve, particularly in a part of the country with a significant achievement gap, is partly what motivated me to get involved. MENTOR’s vision of aiming to close the mentoring gap and drive equity through quality mentoring relationships for young people resonated with me and also served as motivation for me to get involved.
Is this the first board you have served on?
No. I served on the board of NABA’s Twin Cities Chapter in capacities including President and Vice President. I was the Executive Director for our NABA Twin Cities Accounting Career Awareness Program for many years and I also served as the NABA Central Region Chapter’s Student Member Services Director.
I also currently serve on the board of the Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota Chapter of The ALS Association and on the Finance Committee.
As a board member, what have you been able to contribute to the organization?
I have been able to provide suggestions on avenues to expand MENTOR’s reach and ideas on how we continue to mature our processes.
I have also been able to place a spotlight on MENTOR Minnesota with organizations and programs that create innovative collaboration and partnership. Coming as a professional in the cyber industry, I am able to bring the topic of mentorship to a new table and link the organization to unique learning and networking opportunities in the community. For example, we have invited MENTOR Minnesota to a Minnesota Lynx game to celebrate mentorship and connect with EY and other community partners.
What is your biggest challenge as a board member?
It’s not really a challenge, but rather an opportunity — the persistent opportunity to bring forward insights that will make a difference not only to the board but to the organization and its constituents.
What myths do you want to dispel about board members, or about what it is to serve on a board?
Myth: It’s an astronomical amount of work.
Reality: The time commitment needed for board membership varies from board to board, and it’s really up to the individual to prioritize making the time to truly make an impact in their role.
What have you learned about nonprofits since serving on this board? What have you learned about the mentoring movement?
Having been involved with nonprofits in the past, this board reminded me that nonprofits need the support of organizations like EY to amplify their reach and impact. The professionals and board members of nonprofits are extremely passionate about the mission – that’s why they are involved.
It’s unique that EY has a cohort of leaders who serve on boards. Tell me about what it’s like to be a part of this cohort. What have you learned from your EY colleagues and how they support the boards they serve on?
The ability to tap into the EY network has been great. They are an invaluable sounding board and source of enablers as I explore ways to provide value to MENTOR Minnesota.
Think back to when you were growing up or moving up in your career. Is there a teacher, coach, boss, peer or other mentor you had who helped you become who you are today? What can you share about that person or experience?
My success thus far is directly attributable to the mentors, sponsors, and coaches I had throughout my career. There are so many people that I can think of that have shaped who I am today starting with the grace of God, my maternal grandma, parents, Houston-based aunts – one of whom is a CPA with multiple thriving businesses including a tax practice, my boss from my first corporate job after graduating high school, and many more.
Tiffany Davister
What is your name and title, and what board do you serve on?
My name is Tiffany Davister. I am a Partner in Ernst & Young LLP’s Indirect Tax practice and lead our Milwaukee indirect tax team, which covers sales and use, state income, commercial and industrial, property, and payroll taxes. I have been serving on the board of MENTOR Greater Milwaukee for about nine months.
The EY Ripples People and Purpose strategy outlines a vision for “A better me,” “A better us/EY,” and “A better working world.” Where do you see yourself in this vision? What is your sphere of influence?
Each EY office has a Ripples Task Force, which works at bringing the EY corporate responsibility mission into our communities. I serve as our Ripples Task Force Leader in Milwaukee. I think there is more we can do around impacting young children and supporting the next generation through mentoring.
I would like to see our office get more involved through mentoring opportunities, as well as training our young professionals on what mentoring means. I think it will not only benefit us organizationally, but also in the community to have a larger impact.
Is this why you decided to become a board member at a MENTOR Affiliate?
Absolutely. I also was previously involved in City Year and really saw the impact the AmeriCorps members had on students to get them on track to graduate high school.
Why else did you decide to become a board member at a MENTOR Affiliate?
I was hoping to learn more about the impact of mentoring. I wanted to help influence our young adults across Wisconsin and create an environment of people helping others. I have had some great mentors personally and professionally throughout my life, which led to many of my successes.
Is this the first board you have served on?
No, I also served on City Year Milwaukee’s Associate Board.
As a board member, what have you been able to contribute to the organization?
MENTOR Milwaukee is still fairly new, so I have been able to bring experiences from City Year and help the group grow its presence in Milwaukee around MENTOR, what it does, and how we can align with other organizations to have a greater impact.
What is your biggest challenge as a board member?
I feel I’m still learning and understanding MENTOR Milwaukee’s day-to-day involvement and challenges the employees and organization face – in short, a day in the life of MENTOR employees and how can we help them, so they can be more successful as an organization.
What myth do you want to dispel about board members, or about what it means to serve on a nonprofit board?
It is not just about how many dollars you can bring in the door! I think your impact can be equally important when you are spreading the word to younger professionals and community members on what is the nonprofit, how it is vital to our community and ways they can get involved/support beyond merely donation dollars.
What have you learned about nonprofits since serving on this board? What have you learned about the mentoring movement?
The volunteer community is not that large and there are a lot of overlaps among members and those trying to make an impact in their community. There are not enough brilliant people, resources, and dollars out there to help these organizations meet their maximum potential! I think those of us with professional experience can offer a different perspective and insight from our client experiences to equally offer a valuable perspective to the nonprofit organizations we work with.
It’s unique that EY has a cohort of leaders who serve on boards. Tell me about what it’s like to be a part of this cohort. What have you learned from your EY colleagues and how they support the boards they serve on?
I love that you can gain from the experiences of those who have more tenure and a variety of ideas, especially as our chapter is a bit younger than others.
Think back to when you were growing up or moving up in your career. Is there a teacher, coach, boss, peer, or other mentor you had who helped you become who you are today? What can you share about that person or experience?
I had a phenomenal high school accounting teacher. She opened my eyes up to a career path I wasn’t even considering. I was a first-generation college attendee, and largely due to her influence I thought about what a career in accounting could look like and where to think about going to college. She set me up on a path of success very early on and was a great mentor to me.
The views reflected in this article are the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ernst & Young LLP or other members of the global EY organization.
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