‘Regret missing Anna's funeral’: EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani On Employee's Death

New Delhi: Rajiv Memani, Chairman of EY India has expressed deep regret for not attending the funeral of 26-year old employee Anna Sebastian Perayil, who passed away in July. Anna completed her CA exams in 2023 and had been working at EY’s Pune office for four months.

In a statement, Memani acknowledged the concerns raised by Anna's mother, who attributed her daughter's death to workplace stress. In a letter to Rajiv Memani, Anna Sebastian Perayil's mother shared her pain, saying that Anna was overwhelmed by a heavy workload as a new employee. She mentioned that the stress affected her daughter both "physically, emotionally, and mentally,"

The government has also announced plans to investigate the work environment at EY, one of the Big Four accounting firms. Rajiv Memani, in a LinkedIn post, expressed his deep sadness over Anna’s death, saying that as a father he can only imagine the family's pain.

In his message, Memani wrote, "I have conveyed my deepest condolences to the family, although nothing can fill the void in their lives. I truly regret the fact that we missed being present at Anna's funeral. This is completely alien to our culture. It has never happen again."

With the incident catching the attention on social media, he said he was aware that people have commented on some of EY's work practices. "It has always been very important to us to create a healthy workplace and we attach the highest importance to the well-being of our people."

"I would like to affirm that the well-being of our people is my top-most priority and I will personally champion this objective. I am absolutely committed to nurturing a harmonious workplace, and I will not rest until that objective is accomplished," he added. (With PTI Inputs)