No EY representatives at Anna Sebastian's funeral. India head's comment sparks another debate on social media
Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant who passed her exams in 2023, tragically passed away after working at Ernst & Young (EY) Pune office for just four months. According to a letter her mother, Anita Augustine, wrote to Rajiv Memani, the Chairman and Managing Partner of EY India, Anna had been overworked to the point of breaking.
In her letter, Anita Augustine expressed the deep anguish the family felt, not only from the loss of their daughter but also from the apparent lack of empathy shown by Anna's employers. “No one from EY attended Anna's funeral,” she wrote. The absence of her colleagues and managers during such a crucial time added to the family's sorrow. According to her mother, Anna had given her all to EY, yet in her final moments, no one from the organization was present to pay their respects.
Anna's death and her mother's emotional letter have since gone viral on social media, sparking conversations about the toxic work culture in many multinational corporations.
EY India chairman Rajiv Memani in a LinkedIn post responded to the public outcry, expressing deep sadness over the incident. He stated that he, too, was heartbroken over Anna’s tragic demise and conveyed his condolences to the family. «As a father, I can only imagine Ms. Augustine's grief,» he said. Memani admitted that EY had made a mistake by not attending Anna’s funeral, calling it «completely alien to our culture.» He assured the public that such an absence had never occurred before and would never happen again.
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