Julie Boland

Boland, the second woman to lead EY’s Americas business, has had a tumultuous year. In April, she killed a yearlong project to spin off the Big Four accounting firm’s consulting business shortly before it was due to be put to a partner vote. The abandoned split, which was championed by the company’s global leadership, was estimated to have cost over $600 million of partners’ money, as well as tens of thousands of hours of work. Internally, many reportedly were furious that Boland let plans for the split progress so far before she called it off. Others reportedly praised her selfless leadership, noting that she was widely expected to be promoted to global head of EY if the split had been finalized. Boland has since reshuffled the leadership of the Americas business, which accounts for 40% of EY’s $45 billion in revenue. She must now work on calming tensions and proving that she can set the firm on a new, stable course.