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Diversity and Inclusion industry press

Available online to ICAEW members and ACA students

Explore our selection of online articles on diversity and inclusion.

Online articles

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Displaying 1-30 of 47 results
Exclusive Can women have it all? Yes, but not all at once
  • Article
  • 11 Sep 2023
  • Cheyenne Ligon, Arleen Jacobius
Quotes from influential women in institutional investing, who have successfully navigated challenges in balancing billion-dollar portfolios, family responsibilities, and self-care. While their success may appear effortless, these women acknowledge the real challenges they face. They highlight the need for openness about the challenges of maintaining work-life balance, even after reaching high levels of success.
Exclusive Advancing women in leadership
  • Article
  • 01 Sep 2023
  • Theresa Agovino
An interview with Linkage CEO Jennifer McCollum, who has spent nearly three decades helping women in leadership overcome hurdles. She discusses the major obstacles that keep women from leadership roles, and how they can overcome them.
Exclusive Disability as an advantage
  • Article
  • 01 Jul 2023
  • Luisa Alemany, Freek Vermeulen
Employing people with disabilities can significantly improve an organization. The inclusion of staff with disabilities can lead to competitive advantage in at least four ways: by bringing unique skills to the company, by increasing collaboration and psychological safety, by adding to a firm’s value proposition for customers, and by boosting a firm’s reputation with talent and investors. For example, strong links have been found between autism and aptitude at tasks requiring attention to detail.
Exclusive Balancing the climate books: Meet the women warrior accountants excelling at climate action
  • Article
  • 01 Jun 2023
  • Naomi Buck
Article reporting on trailblazers in the field of sustainability accounting - many of whom are women. Quotes are given from accountant Sarah Keyes, who is CEO of a boutique management consultancy advising on ESG reporting and strategies, and from Susan Todd, an early pioneer in sustainability accounting.
Exclusive Gender inclusivity with intention
  • Article
  • 01 Jun 2023
  • Jon Humiston
There are several ways to enhance the workplace climate for transgender and nonbinary employees, Jon Humiston writes. He gives advice on using inclusive language and creating a safe and supportive workplace culture with gender-inclusive policies.
Exclusive Walter Davenport: Overcoming racism
  • Article
  • 01 Apr 2023
  • Vanessa Infanzon
The story of certified public accountant (CPA) Walter Conaway Davenport, who overcame racism to make his way into some of North Carolina's most powerful boardrooms.
Exclusive Risk-taking is critical for women in accounting
  • Article
  • 24 Mar 2023
  • Daniel Hood
A willingness to take chances helped take them to the top, female leaders in the profession say. The article shares stories told by female panelists at the American Institute of CPAs' Engage conference. The panelists highlighted the importance of mentorship for advancing women in accounting, but they also particularly emphasised the importance of risk-taking - for example, by relocating, learning new skills, and trying things you may not be sure will work.
Neurodiversity: the power of thinking differently
  • Article
  • 22 Mar 2023
  • ICAEW Insights
Up to 20% of the UK population is neurodivergent and yet as we reflect on Neurodiversity Celebration Week, embracing the strengths that diversity of thought can offer business remains a work in progress, says Dan Harris.
Exclusive Helping women to close the influence gap: Getting your voice heard as a female leader
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2023
  • Carla Miller
Female leaders across the globe are experiencing the Influence Gap and this is a systemic problem, not a problem with women. Leading UK leadership coach Carla Miller discusses the advice in her book, 'Closing the Influence Gap', a practical guide for women in leadership positions who want to be heard.
Exclusive How the UK tech industry is failing Black women
  • Article
  • 07 Feb 2023
  • Doug Drinkwater
Passed over for promotion and struggling to fit into workplace cultures, Black women in technology see little progress in an industry fixated on diversity optics rather than inclusion. The article features quotes from more than a dozen Black women working in technology roles, who spoke to CIO.com on the back of a British Computer Society (BCS) and Coding Black Females (CBF) 2022 report - 'The Experiences of Black Women in the IT Industry'.
Exclusive Life experiences of a Black accounting student and faculty member
  • Article
  • 01 Feb 2023
  • Mark C.Dawkins
Mark C.Dawkins discusses his life experiences as a Black student studying accounting at several predominantly white institutions and then as a Black accounting faculty member serving for 28 years. He includes some personal thoughts, memories and experiences, with the aim of providing some insights about the need for and benefits derived from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, initiatives and programs for accounting students.
Exclusive COVID-19 exposes the nuances of remote work for women working in accounting
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2023
  • Huang Chenchen, Marsh Huber, Paulina Kassawat
Article reporting on results from a survey investigating the effects of remote work on US accountants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include the psychological well-being of female and male accounting professionals before and during the pandemic, including the impact of having children at home. This research may provide insights that managers might consider when making decisions regarding the post-COVID-19 workforce and the future structure of working patterns or locations.
Exclusive BDO aims to increase diversity and inclusion
  • Article
  • 21 Dec 2022
  • Michael Cohn
An interview with Bernadette Pieters, who was appointed as BDO USA's first diversity, equity and inclusion officer in 2022. She discusses the progress made at the firm towards improving its workplace diversity. 'Intentional mentoring' to help retain staff from diverse backgrounds is one of her focuses, as well as revisiting job postings to describe opportunities in a clear and concise way.
Exclusive How employers can be allies
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2022
Advice for companies on how to implement inclusive benefits and policies for LGBTQ employees. Tips include having employee resource groups for LGBTQ employees, so that a supportive community of other LGBTQ colleagues is available. These groups should be appropriately funded and treated as organizational priorities.
Exclusive Emphasizing DE&I in employee retention
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2022
  • Rinku Bhattacharya, Jain Shreyanse
While it's important for companies to recruit a diverse workforce, they must also ensure that they retain that talent to realize the full benefits. Companies should work on creating a sense of belonging and also continuously evaluate their diversity programs.
Exclusive The scarcity of Black accountants
  • Article
  • 01 Jul 2022
  • Edwrd Mendlowitz
Everyone has a role to play in diversifying the profession, says Ed Mendlowitz. He calls attention to the recent accomplishments of two Black CPAs and makes suggestions for encouraging Black people into the profession. Accountants can help by speaking to high schools, providing role models in their firms, being an ambassador and hiring paid summer interns.
Exclusive Menopause discrimination cases in UK job courts are on the rise
  • Article
  • 30 May 2022
  • Katharine Gemmell
UK employment court cases involving menopause are increasing, with more workers ready to challenge companies that are failing to recognize women's health needs. Women can bring menopause-related cases for age or sex discrimination under the UK's 2010 Equality Act.
Exclusive Accountants work on improving diversity
  • Article
  • 07 May 2022
  • Michael Cohn
The accounting profession is undergoing a re-examination of its efforts to address the lack of diversity. A new global survey of finance and accounting professionals details over 70 best practices for fostering diversity, equity and inclusion, along with indicators and metrics to measure progress.
Exclusive Build the best accounting profession through diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Article
  • 01 Apr 2022
  • Bernice Jenkins, Loreal Jiles, Stephen J.McNally
The authors discuss why the accounting profession should care about discussions regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) and invest time and resources to promote DE&I within accounting workplaces. They highlight insights from recent DE&I research, share why it matters to the profession, and end with practical actions you can take.
Exclusive Cognitive diversity - innovation's 'secret sauce'
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2022
  • Terri Simpkin
Terri Simpkin, Associate Professor and MBA director at the University of Tasmania, shares the importance of creating a culture that encourages teams to bring their authentic selves and divergent ideas to work. She argues that innovation is fundamentally reliant on diversity - and in particular, diversity of thinking. She provides tips on recruiting for diversity of thinking ('cognitive diversity') and keeping those people in the business.
Exclusive Towards a culture of belonging: Collective action toward diversity, equity, and inclusion is needed to enact change in the global accounting profession
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2022
  • Loreal Jiles, Diane Jules, Brad J.Monterio
Collective action toward diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is needed to advance change in the global accounting profession. The article looks at the state of DE&I in accounting and finance and actionable DE&I practices for firms to carry out.
Exclusive 'Limited pipeline' biggest challenge in advancing DE&I, survey finds
  • Article
  • 18 Feb 2022
  • Sean McCabe
Bloomberg Tax's 2021 US Diversity & Inclusion Survey found that both accounting firms and corporate tax departments see a lack of exceptional talent to hire as the top roadblock in addressing diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) within their organizations. Accounting firm respondents cited commitments and/or a lack of support for non-billable work as their other top roadblock on the road to diversity, while corporate tax respondents cited a lack of diversity in senior leadership teams.
Exclusive Why are women accountants leaving their jobs?
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2021
  • Carly Moulang, Alessandro Ghio
A two-year study by accounting researchers Carly Mouland CA and Alessandro Ghio is pinpointing how accounting firms can better tackle gender equity and stop losing female staff. Their study focused on over 250 female accountants in Australia, investigating their wellbeing at work and reasons women leave the accounting profession.
Exclusive Smoke and mirrors: Race and the Black CPA
  • Article
  • 01 Dec 2021
  • Anton Lewis
This article by associate accounting professor Dr Anton Lewis seeks to reconcile recent pledges of racial equity made by accounting firms and the profession generally to racial reality. Given the state of play where race and racism are concerned, can accounting really fulfil its promises and make itself more equitable in the long term?
Exclusive Pandemic hurt diversity efforts in tax and accounting
  • Article
  • 02 Oct 2021
  • Michael Cohn
Ethnic minority and female accountants took on increased workloads at accounting firms during the Covid-19 pandemic, but didn't necessarily see their careers advance, according to a new US study, 'Pandemic Nation Report'. Thomson Reuters Tax and Accounting and PrimeGlobal polled more than 300 tax and accounting professionals from various countries and backgrounds for the report.
Exclusive The impact of mentoring: how to build on success
  • Article
  • 01 Sep 2021
  • Rebecca Pitman
The authors take a look at how mentoring can benefit Black accounting professionals. They identify gaps in support for Black accountants in the US and provide three recommendations to help address the support gaps: assign formal mentors, mandate early sponsorship and support establishment of informal mentors.
Exclusive Promoting racial equity in your workplace
  • Article
  • 01 Sep 2021
  • Robert Livingston
Article providing a practical road map for making profound and sustainable progress towards racial equity in the workplace. Robert Livingston explains some effective interventions, from understanding the current situation, to developing genuine concern among employees, to focusing on executing corrective strategies. For example, this may mean recruiting for potential promise, rather than current experience.
Exclusive 3 ways to accomplish diversity and inclusion in the hiring process
  • Article
  • 16 Aug 2021
  • Mary Newgard
Insurance sector recruiter Mary Newgard covers three ways you can make an immediate impact to your company's Diversity & Inclusion strategy when recruiting new staff.
Exclusive Diversity, equity and inclusion in the accounting profession: A few thoughts
  • Article
  • 01 Aug 2021
  • Joshua Rosenstock, Martin Shenkman
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) concepts can translate to small public accounting firms and even solo practices, say the authors. They consider some ways that small accounting firms can incorporate DEI considerations and make their services more inclusive for clients.
Exclusive LGBTQIA employees leaving accounting profession
  • Article
  • 13 Jul 2021
  • Michael Cohn
Nearly one in five accountants identifying as LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and asexual) left the profession because of a lack of diversity, equitable treatment or inclusion, according to a recent US study. The study, published in February 2021 by the Institute of Management Accountants and the California Society of CPAs, also found that 43% to 55% of female, non-white, Hispanic, Latino and LGBTQIA respondents have left a company due to a perceived lack of equitable treatment. The researchers make suggestions on ways accounting firms can improve work...
Displaying 1-30 of 47 results
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