CLEVELAND — Ernst & Young LLP will expand its engagement in Gay Games 9 through volunteerism, event participation and more as the largest diverse amateur sporting event in the world takes place from Aug. 9-16, complementing the firm’s previously-announced Platinum Sponsorship. More than 30,000 visitors from around the world, including nearly 11,000 participants, will convene in Cleveland andAkron, Ohio, for this inclusive global sports and cultural festival.
“EY is proud to participate in so many different aspects of Gay Games 9,” said Karyn Twaronite, EY Global Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer and partner at Ernst & Young LLP. “EY has been recognized as a leader in LGBT inclusion for many years and participating in the Games allows us to further celebrate the value that our LGBT professionals and their allies bring to our business every day. Our investment in the Games also reinforces our global commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in a meaningful way.”
More than 100 EY professionals will volunteer during the Gay Games, providing the sole volunteer support at the DanceSport and 5K Road Race events. EY people will also be present as spectators at every ticketed event, starting with the Opening Ceremony.
Additionally, the firm will host a booth in the accreditation area at the Cleveland Convention Center from Aug. 7-9, 2014. Gay Games 9 attendees and athletes visiting the booth can learn about careers at EY; the organization’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusion efforts; its professional networks, including its LGBT network that recently rebranded globally to Unity; and more. The booth will also offer more information about the EY Women Athletes Business Network, which was launched in 2013 to help elite women athletes transition from success in sport to success in business by offering a one-of-a-kind global network, related research and stories of inspiration.
“We are honored that Gay Games 9 chose Cleveland and Akron as its host cities, and our Northeast Ohiooffices are excited to be in the center of the Games,” said Julie Boland, Ernst & Young LLP Cleveland Office Managing Partner. “The strong participation and volunteerism of our people signals how EY is striving to build a better working world in the Northeast Ohio community where we have operated for more than 110 years.”
The host city of Cleveland holds a significant role in the firm’s history because it is where founding partner Alwin C. Ernst opened its first EY office in 1903. Since then, the global EY organization, of which the firm is a member, has become a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services with more than 190,000 professionals in over 150 countries.
