London accountancy strengthens Northern Ireland leadership with two 'exceptional new partners'

London accountancy firm EY has added two new equity partners to its Northern Ireland team as the firm continues to invest in and grow its business.

Northern Ireland’s Alastair Allen and Shannon Cunningham join the EY partnership alongside 10 other new equity partners based across the island. Today, EY Ireland employs more than 5,400 people and has offices in seven locations on the island of Ireland: Belfast, Londonderry, Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

These new appointments reflect the firm’s increased investment across all regions and all areas of our business including Assurance, Tax & Law, Consulting, Strategy and Transactions, and key growth areas including AI, Technology, M&A, Aviation Finance, Government & Infrastructure and Health, among others.

Sitting in EY’s consultancy practice, Alastair is a healthcare technology specialist, leading digital and technology-enabled transformation initiatives across the healthcare sector. He focuses on improving patient outcomes and operational efficiency through data, digital health solutions and strategic partnerships.

Shannon has been admitted as a partner in tax. She has over 13 years’ experience advising clients on tax structuring, reorganisations, transaction tax matters and international tax matters. A chartered accountant and chartered tax advisor, she works with private equity and private and public companies across the UK market.

Rob Heron, managing partner, EY Northern Ireland explained:  “Congratulations to Shannon and Alastair, and to all our new EY partners, on reaching this significant milestone. At EY, we are committed to investing in our people and our business as we continue to grow in response to increasing client demand.

“Northern Ireland continues to be a key area of focus for EY, with a strong mix of dynamic indigenous businesses, growing international investment and a vibrant public sector. These appointments reflect our long-term commitment to serving the outstanding organisations in the region solve their most complex challenges and our confidence in the region’s exceptional and deep talent pool.”

EY Ireland managing partner Frank O’Keeffe, added: “Our new equity partner appointments reflect a significant investment as we move confidently to meet growing client demand across the island of Ireland.

"As we continue to invest heavily in world class leadership and expertise to ensure that we are best positioned to support our clients into the future as they navigate and thrive in a complex market. Across every sector, businesses are navigating a more complex environment, shaped by advances in Artificial Intelligence, shifting global dynamics, increasing regulatory demands and growing stakeholder expectations.

"In this context, EY’s ability to combine deep technical expertise and extensive sector knowledge with sound judgement and world class leadership has never been more important.

“These exceptional new partners will help our clients to make confident decisions, to move at pace and to create long-term value as they unlock opportunity for both our clients and our EY teams.

“I look forward to the impact each of them will make as they shape the future with confidence.”