EY’s new WA chief focused on staying in front

EY has tapped audit partner Fiona Drummond to take the helm of the market-leading audit and advisory firm in Perth.

Ms Drummond replaces Michael Anghie, EY’s managing partner in WA for the past eight years.

He is leaving next month to take up a role as group chief executive of disability services provider Advanced Personnel Management.

Ms Drummond is only the second woman to head a Perth office of one of the big four accounting firms after PwC’s elevation of Michelle Tremain in January.

Like Ms Tremain, Ms Drummond was her firm’s first female partner in WA, with both promoted in 2004.

Ms Drummond takes responsibility for 60 partners and 650 staff.

PwC is the clear market leader nationally, but EY is No.1 in WA ahead of Deloitte.

Ms Drummond, who joined EY as a university graduate 25 years ago, said protecting the firm’s leadership position would be her prime focus.

As is customary, she will continue to work in the audit practice to avoid losing touch, albeit with a reduced client list.

“It’s really important that you are attached to a service line, that you are still in the market, that you have a finger on what is happening, while you are looking at that wider whole-of-firm role,” she said.

“The pace of change is phenomenal and you really have to be in the market and working with clients to keep up to speed.”

While WA growth rates for the big four firms have slowed since the end of the mining boom, demand for their services continues to rise as businesses seek advice on myriad emerging issues, from cybercrime to the digitisation of operations.

“Our clients are dealing with disruption, digital, cyber and all sorts of other things, so we need to be at the forefront of that change,” Ms Drummond said.

A board member of United Way in WA for eight years until 2015, her current outside directorships include the Telethon Kids Institute.

Mr Anghie, one of EY’s most senior partners nationally, will remain an adviser to the firm.