“For me Pride is about celebrating that I can be my authentic self”

Ryno is senior manager with EY’s Professional Practice Group Accounting Support in the Netherlands, which helps drive audit quality within EY.

For Ryno Pride is about being respected for who he is. Ryno: “I think for me – being gay - that's what Pride is about: to celebrate that I can be my authentic self and I don't have to save that for after office hours.”

Focus on quality

His department is responsible for reviewing listed entities’ financial statements in quarterly reports, half-year reports and annual reports before they are signed off. On top of that, he provides consultancy services and contributes to the IFRS training of staff. Ryno grew up in South Africa. Before joining EY in the Netherlands in 2018, he worked in similar roles in the United Kingdom and South Africa.

Supported and protected

When he still worked in South Africa, Ryno was open about being gay and took his partner to professional functions. Ryno: “Back then, I was already at a point in my life where I felt comfortable about it, so when I had my first interviews with the Dutch partners and teams it came up and it felt safe to say. There was no reaction whatsoever that could make me feel uncomfortable. These days, everyone at my department and in the teams I work in knows exactly who I am, and I feel supported and protected.”

Progress

Ryno participates in the activities of Unity, the LGBT+ network, and attends meetings of AcrossCultures, the network of the multicultural minority at EY in the Netherlands. He thinks a lot has been achieved when it comes to diversity and inclusiveness at EY. Ryno: “Thinking back of when I joined this organization in 2018, and focusing on EY in particular, enormous progress has been made. When I consider the great teams that I'm working in, it’s clear they genuinely share and support the culture that we've built in the past years.”

A safe environment

Like every manager at EY, Ryno has a personal responsibility to invest time and energy in building awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusiveness within the EY organization. It is part of his everyday work. Ryno: “From time to time, I address these themes with my colleagues. What I also do is try to create a psychologically safe environment where it is okay to speak up and to contribute freely to team discussions. Ultimately, an organization like EY benefits from the fact that we are aggregating more opinions and more views on a specific subject. At the end of the day, it benefits the team’s performance and ultimately the services to our clients.”