Lay member profile

Steve Varley has been the UK Chairman and Managing Partner of EY since 2011.  The Yorkshire-born Varley, joined EY from Anderson Consulting in 2005 to lead its Advisory business. He was invited to join the UK & Ireland Leadership Team in 2006 as Managing Partners Markets.  Steve has over 20 years of client/consulting experience in a variety of sectors, including Government and Public Services, Pharmaceuticals and Oil & Gas. He has been closely involved in some of EY’s largest engagements, including work with the UK Government and National Grid.

Steve has lived and worked around the world, spending significant time in the USA working in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

For the last several years Steve has been part of the business delegation on the Prime Minister’s Trade Missions, including visits to Russia, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil in 2011 and 2012, and China in 2013. As part of the China Trade Mission in December, EY together with UK Trade and Investment led the business delegation in a trade event in Shanghai bringing together British and Chinese business leaders and senior political figures, including China’s Premier Li Keqiang, helping to strengthen further the trade links between China and the UK.  In January 2014, Steve was appointed as Business Ambassador for the professional services industry by the UK Government.

He is a member of the Corporate Board at the Royal Academy of Arts, a founding member of the Social Business Trust and a member of its Investment Committee. He is also a member of the 30% Club and an active supporter and speaker on diversity and inclusiveness, believing that a diverse workforce is a commercial imperative for business success.