Dilek Cilingir Kostem is EY’s Global Assurance Talent Leader. She describes her role as one of advocacy for the 130,000-plus Assurance people stationed in more than 140 countries, as well as for all of EY. On a day-to-day basis she oversees talent engagement strategies and program implementation as the business develops tomorrow’s EY Assurance workforce and equips them to thrive in an increasingly complex professional environment.
Dilek started in auditing because she wanted to understand how businesses work and found auditing to be a quick and immersive way to do this. As a junior auditor she swiftly gained in-depth and behind-the-scenes insight into how companies operate, scale and transform. Her experience also unlocked some international opportunities. Throughout her career Dilek has relocated three times, becoming a risk consultant in the US, the EY Forensics and Integrity Services Leader for Turkey and Southeast Europe, the Turkey Assurance Leader, and currently the Global Assurance Talent Leader for EY, based in London.
“My wide range of experiences early on in my career provided me with several professional transformation opportunities,” says Dilek. “Whenever my progress was starting to plateau, pivot moments presented themselves, followed by new challenges and possibilities that gave my career a boost. I found myself transitioning in different ways, experiencing growth, and, once again, progressing.”
Indeed this fast moving career meant Dilek reached partner level at 34, a relatively swift path given the number of shifts she made. “I am of the view that those experiences, life lessons and relationships helped pave the way for this achievement,” she says. “It’s a career highlight that fills me with immense pride and a leadership role I approach with a deep sense of duty.”
The Future is Arriving
Dilek is proud to have played a part in establishing a group of future leaders called EY’s Global Voices – a 200-strong employee forum that represents the Global Assurance practice and helps shape the business strategy. “At the time, I saw an opportunity for Global Assurance to create a formal structure that encouraged the sharing of diverse perspectives from younger generations across our global membership firm network,” she says. “This is so important given that these are the professionals who are critical to the future of EY.
“There is immense value in listening to the insights and ideas of younger, diverse professionals, many of whom are from a different background and country than myself,” she adds. “Personally, they encourage me to explore challenges and opportunities from fresh angles, and see through their eyes; often with an entirely fresh and new perspective. This helps me be a better HR leader.”
Mentoring for More
Dilek enjoys mentoring and coaching members of this group, to help them develop their leadership capabilities and grow their network. “The value we all receive is amazing, I am firm believer in two-way mentorship – we can and should learn from one another.”
The second stand-out moment for Dilek is helping to increase innovation within EY’s Audit and Assurance teams.
“Given my background in client-service, I enjoy being on-the-pulse of fast paced and innovative projects,” she says. “I have been lucky to introduce or explore projects that are on the cutting edge and have never been done before with EY.”
She gives the example of the business engaging with the Metaverse when it had its first wave of popularity a couple of years back. “I wanted EY to build infrastructure and content to host several virtual recruitment events,” she says. “We did this successfully with the direct involvement of a number of countries around the world.
“This, for me, was interesting, not only to see how we could use this virtual platform to create an entirely new experience to achieve our engagement goals, but to successfully apply emerging technology in a real-world context,” she says.
HR Passion Grows
Dilek’s passion for developing and providing opportunities for EY people has grown steadily throughout her career. This meant the ultimate move into an HR role was a natural progression. “I don’t have a traditional HR leadership background,” she notes, “but my career experience means I have learned how to lead a practice or a function and influence others. I can see challenges and opportunities through the lens of the people we are trying to create solutions for. And my standing as a client service leader has helped me better connect and relate to the leadership team in EY Assurance, and beyond, with whom I work now.”
Dilek confesses to being impressed by Gartner’s Human Deal Framework saying that the model is all about the value exchange, and what the employee receives because of the services provided to the employer. She believes the model to be so obviously true that if you are to affect employee’s lives in a positive way in the workplace, they are more likely to deliver more value in their work, which improves the business.
