BrazilEY appoints Wasim Khan as Advisory Services Leader for MENA
Wasim Khan has been named the new Advisory Services Leader for EY’s consulting practice across the Middle East and North Africa.
Effective next week, Khan, a twenty-year employee of Ernst & Young, will lead a team of over 700 consulting professionals across the MENA region as the new head of advisory services, promoted from his current position as Deputy Advisory Leader for Africa, India and the Middle East (AIM). Khan replaces predecessor Gerard Gallagher, who will continue in the lead role for the AIM region.
Khan has been with EY since joining in 1998 as an IT consultant, eventually moving up to the position of MENA Telecommunications Sector Leader for the firm before taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer of its MENA advisory division in 2013. Prior to joining EY, Khan served as a Senior Consultant for global IT firm UNISYS, and has also been engaged for a stint with Big Four rivals PwC – following an MBA from Oglethorpe University.
EY’s MENA Chairman and CEO Abdulaziz Al Sowailim said of the appointment; “Wasim has played a key part in shaping how our advisory business looks like today, and we are delighted to welcome him as the new MENA Advisory Services Leader. For over 20 years, he has led some of our largest accounts in the public and private sector. Under his leadership, I am confident that we will continue to drive growth and innovation across our Advisory business.”
With a team of over 40,000 consultants worldwide, EY’s Advisory line operates across numerous sectors, including for the Middle East core industries such as oil & gas, energy, financial services, the government and public sector, real estate, and construction, as well as technology and telecommunications – with Khan already having worked with many of the largest local telcos as EY’s regional sector leader.
“The consulting industry continues to be disrupted as regional governments and organisations operate in the Transformative Age. Companies are ignoring boundaries that once distinguished them from other industries, and we are seeing traditional players collaborating with new participants from different industries to co-create value,” Khan said in response to his appointment.
“We too are adapting the way we consult. We fully understand the value of converging with technology providers, cybersecurity technology, design agencies, data analytics experts and digital hubs… I am thrilled to lead the Advisory business in a region which continues to be recognised as one of the most innovative and dynamic in the world.”
Khan further noted the firm’s intention to continue its investment into next-gen capabilities across a number of industries, with a focus on strengthening its alliances, business models and digital, analytics and cyber agendas. Late last year, the firm unveiled an advanced multi-million-dollar cybersecurity centre in Oman to serve the MENA region, while recently EY showcased its cybersecurity expertise at an exhibition in Jordan. Previously, Gallagher, the outgoing MENA and current AIM Advisory head, has expressed why businesses in the MENA region cannot afford to ignore the wide-reaching developments in disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and digitalisation.
