Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Financial servicesEquality, diversity and inclusionLatest NewsProfessional servicesLeadership

Accountancy firms lagging behind business on diversity

by Rob Moss 22 Oct 2019
by Rob Moss 22 Oct 2019 Image: g0d4ather/Shutterstock
Image: g0d4ather/Shutterstock

Research by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has shown that the audit and accountancy profession is lagging behind business for the diversity of senior management teams.

The financial watchdog said that, while the majority of partner level roles are held by white men, its research showed that a third of UK audit and accountancy firms do not collect diversity data for their workforce.

Diversity in leadership

How can HR re-energise the diversity agenda?

Mentoring key to building diverse leadership

#MeToo at two: how far have we come?

The findings, contained in the FRC’s upcoming Key Facts and Trends in the Accountancy Profession report, reveal that, while women make up 46% of manager level roles at audit and accountancy firms, just 17% of women achieve partner level positions.

At smaller firms with less than 200 staff where 52% of managers are women, only 11% are made partner.

This contrasts significantly to diversity levels in the FTSE 350 which this month hit the target for executive board positions to be 30% filled by women.

PwC, KPMG, Deloitte and EY have come under pressure to improve female representation at partner level. Currently, between 19% and 21% of partner level roles at the “Big Four” are filled by women.

Encouragingly, said the FRC, the industry has a strong pipeline of talent with women making up 37% of professional body membership, up from 35% in 2014.

FRC chief executive Sir Jon Thompson said: “The business case for improved diversity has been made and now it’s time for the audit and accountancy profession to take further positive action.

“While it is encouraging to see more firms implementing diversity and inclusion strategies and more women, ethnic minority groups and disabled people being appointed to middle management roles, more needs to be done to ensure the firms are not limiting access to the most senior roles.”

While women and ethnic minority groups are increasingly being appointed to middle management roles at accountancy firms, the firms – which often advise large corporations on their own diversity and inclusion strategies – need to do far more to maximise their pipeline of future talent and promote women, BAME and disabled employees to the top levels of management.

The FRC said it is challenging firms to take rapid action and report on their progress, for example by signing up to the government’s Equalities Office pledge for leaders to take personal responsibility for improving diversity and inclusion in their workplaces.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sharron Gunn, executive director of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, said: “We agree that the senior management of our profession should be diverse, and we want to see firms take action for this to happen. As a minimum, we’d like to see all firms collect diversity data to ensure they understand the make-up of their workforce and so they can address any barriers that might exist.”

Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more human resources jobs

Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
Most construction firms would fail or ‘scrape through’ HSE inspections
next post
How to manage employees with ‘side hustles’

1 comment

david 22 Oct 2019 - 2:39 pm

And still nothing about what should be done about the 70% – 30% gender split in the public sector.

Comments are closed.

You may also like

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

Culture, ‘micro-incivilities’ and invisible talent

14 May 2025

Why fighting the DEI backlash is about PR...

9 May 2025

So what does the election of a new...

9 May 2025

Rethinking talent: Who was never considered in the...

7 May 2025

Reform UK councils’ staff face WFH ban

6 May 2025

Lincolnshire doctor awarded £250k in race discrimination case

2 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+