The assurance and audit profession is facing a talent crisis. Fewer graduates are choosing it as a career, and the perception of what auditors actually do hasn't kept pace with reality. At the same time, AI is fundamentally reshaping the work itself, automating repetitive tasks and opening up entirely new service areas around cyber risk and sustainability. The profession needs different skills, different mindsets, and a completely different value proposition for the next generation of talent.

So how do you transform a workforce of over a hundred thousand people while simultaneously making the profession attractive to a generation that wants purpose, flexibility, and career agility?

My guest this week is Sandra Oliver, Global Assurance Talent Leader at EY. In our conversation, she shares how EY is reskilling auditors at scale, bridging generational divides around technology adoption, and repositioning audit careers as a launchpad for business leadership.

In the interview, we discuss:

Attracting Gen Z to the audit profession
AI's impact on day-to-day audit work
Upskilling 130,000 professionals in AI
Bridging the generational technology gap
Reverse mentoring between junior and senior staff.
Purpose and meaningful work as talent drivers
How will audit careers evolve over the next five years?

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Ep 767: Inside EY's Talent Strategy for AI and the Future