A French audit high-flyer has been named as Ernst & Young's new global assurance head.

Isabelle Santenac takes over with immediate effect, the firm announced today.

Santenac joined the French firm of Ernst & Young in 2002 and rose to the position of banking & capital markets leader for Ernst & Young France and was also the joint leader of the financial services office in Paris.

Santenac said, 'I am very honoured and proud to have been selected for this role, and I look forward to working with our assurance people to deliver the best quality client service, worldwide.'

'I am delighted that Isabelle has agreed to take this role,' said John Murphy, Ernst & Young’s global vice chair, assurance and advisory business services. 'Isabelle brings a wealth of experience and will be a key force in driving our assurance initiatives around the world. In particular her focus on International Financial Reporting Standards is important as, with moves towards adoption in the US, IFRS looks like becoming the first truly global accounting framework.'

Further reading:

EU may have to accept US GAAP next year