EY Opens Global Centre of Excellence in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
On Wednesday, March 13, 2018, EY Canada announced the launch of a new EY Global Centre of Excellence in Halifax, Nova Scotia – the first Centre of its kind to open in Canada.
Focusing on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technologies – software that mimics human behaviours – the Centre is building a leading practice in customizable digital services to companies across the country.
We sat down with John Munro, EY Canada IT Advisory Partner, to learn more about this exciting area of industry growth, and why Nova Scotia is the perfect place to lead the charge.
Q. Why is Nova Scotia the right place for the Centre?
A. EY has a strong core belief in diversity, and we take that very seriously. We’re excited to be launching in a region where we’ve been granted a wonderful opportunity to support the diversity of the economy, and to support graduate students and immigrants coming here.
The sheer number of secondary education institutions in Nova Scotia was also a factor. There are 10 universities, 13 community college campuses that are very responsive to industry, and around 71,000 students at any given time. It's really about getting people in an early-stage career that know these leading technologies and can help us innovate and develop.
Being able to bring in Nova Scotian talent as opposed to offshoring is a great advantage, and we’re excited about mixing and matching our global delivery capabilities as we collaborate with delivery centres around the world.
Q. What’s the best thing about doing business in Nova Scotia?
A. Each of us at EY is working towards a purpose: building a better working world. My contribution to this purpose is helping to drive the economy of the province in which I live.
We're not going to make a difference just by selling in Nova Scotia. We've got to be exporters to the world, but I believe a couple things very passionately.
One: Nova Scotia has a wealth of talent and expertise to offer the business community, and I believe our people can compete with the rest of the world.
Two: the differentiator that makes Nova Scotia successful in exporting to the world is our service culture. As we focus this Centre of Excellence on serving markets like Toronto, Vancouver, New York, and Chicago, our service culture, our approachability, our demeanor, and our authenticity will make a big difference and continue to drive growth.
Q. Are you looking to recruit – and if so what kind of skill sets are required?
A. The Centre will employ data scientists, application developers, system architects, project managers and business analysts from a variety of sources, including leading local schools. Ultimately, we need people who are good at technology and can program, with Java or .NET as base skills.
But equally important, we need people who are enthusiastic and innovative. EY is always looking for people who say, "You know what? I really want to be part of building something." EY is a huge company, with over 270,000 people globally. We're undergoing change and innovation in the way we deliver our services. So we’re looking for an enthusiasm to offer ideas, to learn, to try, to succeed, to fail, and then try again.
Q. Where can people learn more about EY in Nova Scotia – or enquire about any career opportunities?
A. All job postings are on the EY website and CareerBeacon.
I'm all for creating jobs in Atlantic Canada. This is a great opportunity to leverage the drive our younger people have for entrepreneurship; that the immigrants who are coming here have. They really want to make a difference and there is a drive and a passion there that I hope to engage.
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