For Angie Kelly, taking the top spot at Ernst & Young LLP’s Detroit office is a personal milestone. But for Spartans and ambitious professionals everywhere, the Eli Broad College of Business alum’s ascent is an inspiration and example of what can be.
Angie Kelly
Kelly (BA Accounting ’98), who will become office managing partner Sept. 30, will be the first woman to lead the 700-person Michigan office of the London-based, multinational professional services firm. She has worked for EY ever since her graduation from MSU 20 years ago.
“It is a great thrill for me to learn of Angie’s new role,” said Sanjay Gupta, Broad College dean. He said Kelly’s promotion is a win both for inclusivity and business productivity: “To be able to have women lead business organizations is the fastest and surest way for us to be able to establish, once and for all, that gender should not be an obstacle but instead an asset.”
“In much of our research around gender diversity and performance, it has been borne out that teams that have gender diversity outperform teams that are composed of only one gender,” Gupta said.
Kelly is one of several Broad Spartan women in high leadership roles for one of the “Big Four” professional services firms in the Detroit area, Gupta said. Earlier this year, Betsy Meter (BA Accounting ’82) was elevated to Michigan managing partner for KPMG LLP offices in Detroit and Grand Rapids. Nancy Vella (BA Accounting ’79), who is managing director for private wealth at Deloitte Tax LLP in Detroit, was presented the Broad College Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award this past spring.
Sanjay Gupta
In Kelly’s new role, she will be responsible for developing and mentoring EY’s people, keeping EY at the top among its peers, amplifying the EY brand, and engagement activities in the Detroit area and throughout Michigan, according to EY. She is EY’s current assurance leader for its central region automotive and transportation market segment, and co-director of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Program for Michigan and Northwest Ohio.
“During my 20 years with EY Detroit, our office has grown significantly, and I’ve been proud to be part of the incredible culture of this office and this community,” Kelly said in a prepared statement. “I’m honored to be named office managing partner to further the momentum in Detroit, working directly with our outstanding team of professionals to provide exceptional client service, support our community, and advance EY’s purpose of building a better working world.”
Kelly is also active in making MSU and metro Detroit better places for its people. She is a member of the external advisory board of the Broad College Department of Accounting and Information Systems. She also serves on board of directors for TechTown Detroit, Hatch Detroit, and Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve in Rochester, Mich., and is a mentor for Endeavor Global, which supports innovative high-growth companies, EY said.
“I could not be happier for Angie and our entire practice,” George Lenyo, whom Kelly is succeeding as office managing partner, said in a statement. “She is an outstanding professional and, more importantly, a great leader who cares very deeply about our people, our clients, and our community. She is a natural choice to lead the EY brand in the market to even greater heights.”
