EY breaks silence on death of Anna Sebastian Perayil

Ernst & Young (EY) issued an official statement expressing "profound sorrow" over the tragic death of its 26-year-old employee, Anna Sebastian Perayil, who reportedly passed away due to an "excessive workload" just four months into her role at the Pune office. Anna, a chartered accountant, began her role as an Executive at EY Pune on March 19, 2024, and tragically passed away on July 20, 2024, while working at S R Batliboi in Yerawada, Pune. A day after the letter from Anna’s mother, Anita Augustine, gained widespread attention, Rajiv Memani, chairman and managing partner at EY India, sent an internal email titled "News in media" on September 18. Despite the email being marked with a ‘Do Not Forward’ instruction, it was leaked on social media and has since been widely shared on social media platforms.

In their response to this tragedy, EY officially states, “We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family.”

Sebastian joined the Audit team at S R Batliboi, an EY Global member firm, on March 18, 2024, and her sudden death marked an immense loss for the organisation. “While no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, we have provided all the assistance as we always do in such times of distress and will continue to do so,” EY informs.

EY further stated that while no action could fully alleviate the family’s grief, they have offered their full support, as they do in such difficult circumstances, and will continue to stand by the family.

The company also emphasised that it is taking the family’s concerns seriously, with a strong commitment to ensuring the well-being of its employees. “We are taking the family’s correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India,” it adds.

This statement follows a letter from Anna’s mother, Augustine, addressed to Memani. In her letter, Augustine revealed that Anna had been excited about her first job but succumbed to the pressures of the workload within just four months. “She worked tirelessly at EY, giving her all to meet the demands placed on her. However, the workload, new environment, and long hours took a toll on her physically, emotionally, and mentally. She began experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress soon after joining. Still, she kept pushing herself, believing that hard work and perseverance were the keys to success,” said Anna’s mother in the letter.

In the email sent to EY employees, the EY India chairman mentioned that staff had likely been aware of numerous messages circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms since the previous day, concerning the tragic death of Sebastian on July 20, 2024. He noted that Sebastian had joined the Assurance team in Pune on March 18, 2024, and emphasised that her brief four-month tenure with the firm made the tragedy all the more heartbreaking. He also shared that Anna was from Kochi and had been working at the Pune office.