The 2023 Rising Stars of the Profession: Alona McCluney

Alona has more than 13 years of experience providing IT assurance and consulting services to global public and privately held companies across industries, including technology, and media and entertainment. She joined the EY organization as a university hire within the EY Risk Consulting practice.

Alona has extensive experience identifying risk and establishing controls to improve processes within complex environments. She primarily focuses on internal and external audit, nonfinancial metric reporting, third-party reporting and data analytics.

Alona earned her BS in Accounting and Business Management and a Master's in Accounting from North Carolina State University. She is a certified information system auditor (CISA) and a member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

What would you say has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

Versatility has been the biggest factor in my success to date. In each interaction I make, I focus on truly getting to know the person and embracing who they are to create a more trusted and valued relationship. This allows everyone – colleague, clients, leaders – to bring better solutions to our most pressing issues and build an environment of positive, meaningful collaboration.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

Finding my niche in the consulting industry really has felt like college all over again. Technology just continues to move faster, and I love the constant challenge to learn and grow what I think I know about my industry. I love the work I focus on in Technology, Media and Entertainment – and it gets me excited thinking about the next challenge that will cross my plate.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

It makes me extremely proud when I use the connections I've established over the years at EY to help someone else grow or find success. Whether it be helping someone transfer to an office in another country, or simply helping someone identify a new area of passion, it brings me so much joy to help our EY people connect, grow and thrive in their careers.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

The worst thing they can say is "no." You don't know what is going to happen until you try. The worst thing you can possibly do is to not try at all.

What does this recognition mean to you?

I have been doing this job for so long, it's now a part of who I am. This award, to me, recognizes the work I have done and that I am truly seen both personally and professionally by my leadership team and colleagues.