EY Jamaica, a member firm of Ernst and Young Global Limited, has signed on former Deloitte Jamaica partners Winston Robinson and Anura (Jay) Jayatillake.

The two joins the audit and transaction advisory practices of EY Jamaica, while most of their staff came over last Sunday.

In a press statement issued over the weekend, Ernst and Young’s local member firm said that some of Deloitte Jamaica’s large corporate clients have already indicated that they will be serviced by the EY.

“(The partnership) further strengthens EY’s position as a market leader in assurance, transaction advisory services and tax consulting across the region,” said Allison Peart, country managing partner of EY Jamaica.

The move by Ernst and Young Jamaica brings it within arms reach of Price water house Coopers (PwC) and KPMG, the number one and two players in Jamaica.

Globally, Deloitte was last reported to be neck and neck with PwC, in terms of revenue, followed by EY, then KPMG, while the four, commonly referred to as the Big Four, are considered to be the largest professional services firms in the world.

Deloitte pulled its name from the partnership that operates in Jamaica, effective September 1, ending a more than 50-year run by the local operations as a member firm.

Other former Deloitte Jamaica partners have established an independent correspondent firm to service Deloitte’s clients locally.

Peart said that EY Jamaica, which is integrated with EY Caribbean, is also one of the largest fully integrated professional services firms in the region “offering a global perspective while maintaining regional insight”.

“EY’s multidisciplinary teams of professionals leverage a wealth of industry-tailored practical approaches and financial, strategic and operational solutions to help clients maintain/improve liquidity, flexibility and stakeholder returns and build sustainable businesses,” she said.

EY Caribbean has offices in Jamaica, Barbados, St Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Curacao and Aruba while the EY international network encompasses member firms which are separate legal entities in individual countries, boasting 167,000 employees and more than 700 offices in more than 140 countries.