EY death: Employee identified as Aishwarya Venkatachalam, uncle shares tribute

The Ernst and Young employee who was found dead in the company’s Sydney CBD offices has been identified as Indian national, Aishwarya Venkatachalam.

WARNING: Confronting

The Ernst and Young employee who was found dead in the company’s Sydney CBD offices has been identified as Indian national, Aishwarya Venkatachalam.

The 27-year-old’s body was found by police in the early hours of Saturday, August 27, following a concern for welfare report. Police believe self harm was involved and are not investigating the death as suspicious.

A family member of Ms Venkatachalam said she started at EY last November and entered the role as a senior auditor in real estate assurance.

After studying a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance at the Symbiosis College of Arts & Commerce, in Pune, western India, Ms Venkatachalam relocated to Australia with her husband.

“She was very educated, beautiful and brilliant,” her uncle, Nachur Balasubramanian, told the Daily Mail.

“She was a very good lady, she was brought up very well”.

Her uncle said the family was still “trying to seek answers” in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The EY employee who was found dead at the firm’s Sydney office has been identified as Aishwarya Venkatachalam. Picture: LinkedIn.

EY worker’s tragic last moments alive

This comes as more details have been revealed of the last hours of Ms Venkatachalam’s life.

Three women reportedly saw the 27-year-old crying in nearby carpark having a panic attack shortly before midnight on Friday, the Daily Mail reports.

According to one of the women, the EY worker had been kicked out of a work event and had left her key in the building.

She reportedly claimed security had denied her access.

“I found her in a car park, close to my car, crying her eyes out so my girlfriends and I offered to help her out,” one of the women who spoke to the EY worker told the publication.

“She was trying to communicate with a cleaner who worked there — I think she may have thought they were from the same country.

“He was trying to help but he had no English. He ended up walking away and we asked if she was OK.”

Want to stream your news? Flash lets you stream 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

The woman was found at the financial services firm’s Sydney headquarters.

The timeline as to the women’s final hours before she was found dead at the financial services firm’s Sydney offices have been contested.

It was previously reported by The Australian that the woman had been escorted from a work social event held at a bar and club called The Ivy, just 450m away from the EY headquarters.

There, it’s believed she returned to the offices between 7pm to 7.30pm, with CCTV and witness confirming her presence. It’s believed the woman also called her husband at about 8pm, who was due to fly from Singapore to Sydney.

While The Australian reported that police are “unequivocal” about the above series of events, EY reported that “initial investigations indicate she left the EY building at around 7.30pm and returned after midnight”.

Family break silence after tragic death

The brother of the EY employee penned a moving poem for his sister, revealing his family are “shocked beyond words”.

The heartbroken man described how “life turned upside down” the moment his family were informed of the 27-year-old corporate high-flyer’s death last Friday.

7NEWS obtained the poem, titled “Gone Too Soon”, on Friday.

The brother of the Ernst & Young employee who died in a suspected suicide at the firm’s Sydney office has penned a heartbreaking poem for his sister.

“Shocked beyond words, not an age to go, life was ahead of you,” he wrote.

The man said those closest to her are “controlling our tears, as you will be missed for years”.

“Flashback from your birth running in our minds, aim to relive the bond of love (and) respect every year,” the poem continues.

“Left an irreplaceable void in our lives.

“Will remember & cherish the wonderful memories.

“May your soul rest in peace.”

Inside dark work culture where 27-year-old died

Since the employee’s death, current and former employees have told news.com.au of the culture of overwork which occurs in major financial services businesses, particularly among financial auditors. Ex-staff cited 70 to 80 hour work weeks, especially during peak periods from July to September.

These claims were consistent with those made by employees from other Big 4 accounting firms which include PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), KPMG and Deloitte.

The 27-year-old EY employee’s death has sparked a conversation around working work culture among auditors. Picture: Gabriel Bouys/ AFP

One former auditor who’s worked at PwC and EY described the culture at the Big 4 firms as an “iron man contest”.

“You survive or leave,” he told news.com.au, on the basis of anonymity.

“Each level punishes the next level down. They see it as: ‘If I had to do it, then you have to do it’ and it propagates the same kind of bad behaviour.”

News.com.au is not suggesting the work culture at EY contributed to the employee’s death and the employee’s identity and role within the company has not been disclosed.