EY Global Delivery Services (EY GDS), part of Ernst & Young, one of the world’s Big Four accounting firms has expanded its presence in Tamil Nadu with the launch of its first office in Coimbatore on Wednesday. 

The new 22,000 sq. ft. facility, located at the KCT Tech Park in Saravanampatti, was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu’s Minister for IT and Digital Services, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, along with Manesh Patel, Global Operations Leader, EY GDS.

EY GDS’s decision to set up operations in Coimbatore is driven by the city’s strong academic institutions, skilled engineering talent, and a thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurship and technological innovation.

The event included a keynote address by Manesh Patel, an inaugural speech by Thiaga Rajan, and a panel discussion on “Leveraging Coimbatore for Global Capability Centres for Growth and Scale.”

Welcoming EY GDS’s investment, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said, "EY GDS’s presence will create employment, enhance skills, and significantly contribute to our state’s digital transformation journey."

"Our organization is people-driven. We seek to hire talent across diverse skill sets. Coimbatore’s strong academic ecosystem and history of technological innovation provide an excellent talent pool, making it a natural choice for our expansion. Talent has brought us here, and we are very happy to be here," Manesh Patel told Covai Chronicle after the launch.

The new office will primarily focus on consulting services (quality engineering and data analytics), but in the future, it will introduce additional solutions. EY GDS currently employs 200 professionals in Coimbatore and plans to expand this to 500 employees in the next three to six months, he said.

"Most of our hires will be local talent, with some professionals relocating from other parts of India. Many Coimbatore natives working in other cities are also returning to join our team. There are immense opportunities for growth within EY GDS, with employees being selected for global leadership roles," Mr. Patel said.

To support its expansion, the company will soon launch a recruitment drive in Coimbatore, hiring experienced professionals through a mega recruitment drive and fresh graduates in collaboration with universities and colleges.

When asked whether EY GDS is increasingly finding Tier-2 cities attractive, he said that the growing appeal of Tier-2 cities for global corporations is driven by the availability of high-quality talent.

"Many of these cities are academic hubs, offering a strong pipeline of skilled professionals. Post-pandemic, there has been a shift in talent preferences—where earlier, professionals moved to organizations, now companies are setting up offices closer to talent," he noted.

EY GDS is also evaluating further expansion in Tamil Nadu beyond Chennai and Coimbatore. The company anticipates reaching a workforce of 5,000 employees in the state by the end of the year.