Inside EY GDS's AI-Ready Borderless Global Talent Machine

The global talent pool is verging on becoming a borderless space where technology is creating more jobs at a time when people still fear newfangled tools as job killers.

EY Global Delivery Services (GDS) has a front-row seat to the future along with the Philippines, as innovation and technology are at a critical juncture. Divisive tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are gradually being accepted as inevitable truths among industry leaders and crucial professionals from varying walks of life.

Well, EY Global Vice Chair for GDS Ajay Anand knows a thing or two about the machines and gizmos which now form the bedrock of the thriving global talent innovation space, crucial for keeping modern industries chugging along.

The executive was given the three standard options as a son of an Indian immigrant looking to make something of himself in this world: doctor, lawyer, or engineer. He landed on the last option, which eventually led to an MBA and a seasoned tenure in fast-paced Silicon Valley, where benchmark ideas are turned into industry standards.

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Technically, he started out as an AT&T engineer before committing to Silicon Valley just before the dreaded "dot-com bubble" burst. It was a time when investors were throwing money at any company with a ".com" in its name, only to see trillions of dollars wiped out by 2002 as companies went bankrupt en masse.

Anand ventured into EY a year after the crash, enticed by the company's potential to harness modern technology and business with a strong sense of organizational purpose.

An initial plan of staying just a "couple of years, like a lot of people" turned into a 25-year tenure spanning a multitude of business ventures. Today, he stands at a new frontier, leading 86,000 EY professionals globally.

It is a far cry from the "get big fast or die" mindset of the early 2000s gold rush. Instead, it is about mastering tech with actual business acumen—without having to burn through venture capitalist money.

"If I look back at my career, I started out as an engineer, then went into business, then went into professional services, then I learned audit, risk, you know, program management," the seasoned tech leader told Esquire Philippines in a candid sit-down interview.

"I mean, I learned various things. I'm continuously learning even today. And so I don't think it ever stops."

Anand described the fateful implosion of those early internet-based companies diplomatically as "some really great times" and "some tough times" before his pivot to EY GDS.

He now has his hands full navigating the evolving AI integration landscape. But the challenge doesn't faze the EY GDS executive one bit; in fact, it injects hope into his vision for the Philippine workforce.

"[The] Philippines is rich with talent and we're proud to have over 6,000 professionals in the Philippines—in Manila, as well as Cebu, which is growing very, very rapidly," Anand said.

"It's a wide array of different skill sets that are in the Philippines, and we're only looking to build upon those even further."

When most people hear of Ernst & Young (EY), they likely connect the dots to tax, audit, and general consulting. However, the firm has quietly become a hotbed for engineers and some of the best tech talent in the world.

Anand's instinct for potential paid off by staying with EY. Today, the Global Delivery Services unit spearheads distinct technology programs backed by exceptional know-how from hubs like Silicon Valley.

"We provide an opportunity for fresh graduates to work on very complex problems in various industries and companies. And that provides them an opportunity to see different things," he said.

"We want to hire the best and the brightest. We also want people that have great communication skills, great leadership skills, [and] great collaboration skills."

So what is it that makes the diverse and innovation-driven empire of EY GDS tick?

Just last year, the industry giant had 24,000 hires and logged five million training hours for its professionals. Think of it as an advanced university system designed to upgrade skill markers and competencies.

"We're not so hung up on where one may reside, but we look for the best talent. We have some of our best people in places like the Philippines, as well as locations in Mexico, Argentina, and Spain. Some of our top-notch technologists and top-notch auditors are based in these different locations," Anand said.

Filipino professionals are being eyed as talent-rich assets who also possess the real human skills essential for communication, leadership, and collaboration—crucial intangibles that AI cannot teach nor replicate with genuine human quality.

A future-ready workforce isn't one with an AI crutch, as this can bankrupt their ability to actually work with peers, to lead, and to collaborate toward innovation.

Anand highlighted the initiatives of EY GDS to upskill professional capacity via onboarding, boot camps, and an entire career of continuous learning. Imagine being a student again, but this time EY grants its professionals access to those five million hours of yearly learning.

The company also champions providing avenues for professionals with dynamic aspirations via their counselor programs. These counselors serve as "career Sherpas," looking at an employee's career roadmap and helping them chart the path upward.

The Philippines is EY GDS's power center, with a cybersecurity Center of Excellence being set up in Manila and a professional base in Cebu expanding at a dizzying pace.

"So we run GDS as one centralized organization... and so we develop that talent and we provide the different opportunities," Anand explained.

"Location is less of a barrier at this point, given how we work borderless and the hybrid work."

When you work at a talent incubator such as EY, skill upgrades and career mobility are not just neat perks you get with the job; they are part of a survival kit you need to beat obsolescence.

Take it from Anand, a Silicon Valley vet who watched the internet hype crumble with the loss of trillions of dollars—an implosion that turned many away from the field.

It is time to embrace the "adapt or die" mentality and cut out the panic and mania over AI. Look inward and see if you're still learning.


Photography: Kieffer Carrascal

Video: Teddy Garcia
Grooming: Lillian Yeung

Story and interview: JV Ordoñez
Location: EY GDS Manila in Bonifacio Global City

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