People-first Champion
Anniston, Alabama
G. Thomas “Tom” Hough is the retired Americas vice chair of Ernst & Young LLP. Based in New York, he served as vice chair of assurance services for Ernst & Young until his retirement in 2014. In that role, he oversaw services provided by 1,550 partners and 17,150 professionals throughout the Americas.
Born in 1955, Hough grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the youngest of three children. When he was a rising senior, Hough’s family relocated to Anniston, Alabama. The family move to Anniston bode well for him. He met his future wife, Jan, that first year in Anniston and both went on to attend The University of Alabama. While at the University, Tom lettered on the varsity golf team and majored in accounting.
After graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from The University of Alabama’s business school, Hough joined Ernst & Young in 1978 in its Cleveland, Ohio-based National Research Group. He was later relocated back to Alabama to EY’s Birmingham office.
While in Birmingham, he served as president of the Sunrise Rotary Club and was a member of the governing board of Shoal Creek Golf Club. The Shoal Creek position allowed him to serve as co-general chairman of the 1986 U.S. Amateur Golf Championship and the 1990 PGA Championship—both held at Shoal Creek. Additionally, Hough attended EY’s accelerated tax training in Washington, D.C. and became a partner in 1987, all while continuing to serve clients, including serving as the coordinating partner on AmSouth Bancorporation.
In 1990, Hough left EY and became controller of Harbert Corporation. While at Harbert, Hough expanded his business experiences into corporate finance and international operations. In 1992, Hough returned to EY and became managing partner of tax in Birmingham. His success was evident as he was made managing partner of the firm’s Pittsburgh operations, which included five offices, in 1994. He then moved to New York in 1996, as the firm’s vice-chair of human resources, and joined the EY board. During this time, Hough introduced the “PeopleFirst” strategy and spearheaded the firm’s strong emphasis on building a great place to work, obtaining a spot in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list in 1998.
In 2000, Hough and family moved to Atlanta where he would continue his EY career, serving as Southeast area managing partner for 19 offices covering six states and the Caribbean.
While in Atlanta, he successfully grew the EY practice and at the same time, gave back to the community. He served on the board of the Capital City Club, executive committee of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, trustee of Woodruff Arts Center, the board of Central Atlanta Progress, board of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club.
In 2009, Hough returned to New York to lead the EY America’s Assurance (Audit) practice, while continuing to serve on the EY Executive Board and joining the EY Global Assurance Executive Committee.
He retired in 2014 and returned to Atlanta. He is active in a number of civic organizations in addition to serving on the corporate boards of Equifax Inc.; Federated Hermes, Inc.; Haverty Furniture Company, Inc; and previously, Publix Super Markets, Inc. He served as a member of the executive committee of the United States Golf Association, past president of the Capital City Club and a member of the Business School Board of Visitors of Wake Forest University. He is currently a member of The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors and vice chair of the President’s Cabinet.
At Alabama, he and his wife established the Jan and Tom Hough Family Endowed Scholarship in Accounting and named the Jan and Tom Hough Family Classroom in Hewson Hall. Hough was also selected for the University’s “Start Here Go Anywhere” marketing campaign and continues to be very active in student recruiting for the Capstone.
Family is central in Hough’s life. He enjoys time with Jan, his wife of 46 years, sons Tommy (Chelsea) and Houston (Anna), and his four grandchildren.
