Paul Roberts (Ernst & Young NZ)
Ernst & Young New Zealand has acquired the business of boutique Auckland technology consulting firm Q4 Associates, a specialist in intelligent automation and robotics process automation.
EY said the addition of the Q4 Associates team would enable it to better serve clients, particularly in the financial services sector, by strengthening its existing intelligent automation and robotics process automation capabilities and bolstering the firm's financial services technology consulting team.
A team of 12 consultants are joining the EY New Zealand's financial services technology consulting team, with Q4 Associate’s co-founders Samantha Osborne, Maurice Dubey and Shayde Boryer joining the NZ leadership team.
The team will be based out of the Auckland office and will service clients across New Zealand and Australia.
Q4 Associates had a strong brand in the New Zealand across broad industry verticals, working with some of the largest institutions.
“As we continue to grow our recently formed New Zealand financial services practice, it made sense to bring on board a team of highly experienced IA and RPA professionals," said Paul Roberts, financial services leader at EY New Zealand.
“The addition of the Q4 Associates team to our existing New Zealand financial services practice, along with a number of other significant hires and promotions over the last six months, means we are rapidly expanding our presence in the market and continuing to bring our financial services clients the deep industry knowledge and experience they need to help them address some of their most complex challenges.”
Q4 Associates' Osborne said EY was looking to grow its existing team by bringing in talent with deep data skills and local market experience. The deal would be a great fit and create a compelling service offering in local and regional market.
"This is another great example of our ongoing commitment to providing leading professional services and tailored support to the financial services sector, as we work with clients to create an even stronger, more trusted and sustainable New Zealand financial services ecosystem," said Grant Peters, EY financial services managing partner, Oceania.
EY had worked alongside Q4 Associates in the market for some time, said Brian Collins, EY financial services intelligent automation leader, Asia-Pacific.
“This expansion will help us to meet the growing demand for digitisation and automation services in Oceania, as our clients seek to provide the best solutions to their customers," Collins said.
