Sarah Francis
Strategic Relationships Leader Financial Services Organization, Ernst & Young LLP (EY)
Sarah Francis is a seasoned corporate governance, business strategy and human capital executive with 15+ years of experience in C-suite and director recruitment, board advisory, social capital and innovation. She serves as the Strategic Relationships Leader for the Americas Financial Services Organization of Ernst & Young LLP (EY), where she is responsible for overseeing the firm’s strategy, brand positioning and coordinated approach to serving C-suite executives, boards, and alumni of financial institutions. Sarah is a trusted advisor to public, private, pre-IPO and nonprofit organizations in their corporate governance, board composition and business transformation journeys.
She also serves as EY’s Global Coordinating Services leader for a Fortune 500 insurance company, where she is responsible for building, leading and managing the delivery of diverse, high performing teams across all of EY service lines and locations.
Sarah previously served as the firm’s Executive and Board Network Leader, a role to which she was appointed in 2013 under the sponsorship of EY’s Global Chairman and CEO. In this capacity, Sarah spearheaded the successful launch and scale of a leading markets initiative centered on assisting clients in their C-suite sourcing, board refreshment and director succession efforts in addition to providing network members with advice, connections, and curated convening. Sarah’s role included oversight of strategic, operational, and technology investment and infrastructure decision-making. Prior to joining EY in 2008, Sarah worked in talent strategy for a Philadelphia-based venture capital firm.
She serves on the Advisory Council for the McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership at Villanova University and on the board of directors of Marjorie’s Fund, a New York-based nonprofit that helps to empower people with type 1 diabetes in under resourced locations. Sarah is a member of the EY Women Athletes Business Network (WABN) steering committee and previously sat on the EY Americas People Team (APT) Advisory Board.
Sarah is a graduate of Villanova University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. She is the recipient of the 2019 Young Alumni of the Year medal from Villanova University.
