Ted Acosta
Name: Ted Acosta
Title: EY Americas Vice Chair–Risk Management
Company: Ernst & Young LLP
Headquarters: New York, New York
Education: JD and MHA, St. Louis University; BA, Penn State University
What I’m Reading: The Unpublished David Ogilvy by David Ogilvy and The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
My Philosophy: Always stay positive.
Away from Work, I: Spend time with my family, and pursue outdoor and underwater activities as much as possible.
How My Heritage Values Fuel My Success: Perhaps the most important value or principle I’ve embraced from a young age is to lead with the achievements resulting from my hard work and to never rest on my laurels or expect favorable treatment. My formula for both academic and professional success has been to be judicious about learning. I am tireless in this endeavor, and believe in applying myself to each task with the intent of doing the best job possible. I make sure not to make recognition or rewards my goal. To my surprise, rewards and recognition have come my way.
The Best Career Advice I’ve Received and the Advice I Offer Others: The best advice I received was to network—to get to know different people within the organization, the client base, the industry, and the community. My advice today would be similar, but I would add that one should network with integrity and substance. The most compelling people I’ve ever met, and still remember, were authentic and
