JEDDAH, 22 May — The partners of Andersen Middle East will be joining the Middle East practice of Ernst & Young effective July 1, according to an announcement yesterday. Ahmed Al-Aiban of Ernst & Young Middle East, said: “The Ernst & Young partners will be very happy to welcome our new colleagues. We’ve always respected Andersen as a firm that has enjoyed the reputation for being focused on the market, with an excellent client base and the ability to attract quality professionals.”
Fouad Alaeddin of Andersen said: “Andersen has always regarded Ernst & Young as the premier professional firm in the region with a reputation for professional excellence. The synergies between Ernst & Young’s practice in the Middle East, with its strong international network and great local base of clients, and our own are outstanding. My partners and I will be very glad to join forces with our Ernst & Young colleagues in order to enable our enlarged firm further to improve its leading position in the region.”
With this bold initiative, the Ernst & Young Middle East partnership would also double in size to about 100 partners with 2,000 staff members, making Ernst & Young the largest professional firm in the Middle East, providing world-class assurance, tax and business advisory services throughout the region.