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Diversity in the workplace

What can you do to create a diverse workforce? Our collection of best practice guides will show you how to promote and protect diversity.

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ICAEW resources

A team of people at their desks working on their laptops
Five steps to more inclusive communication
  • Article
  • 05 Dec 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
By highlighting qualities such as respect, transparency and compassion, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is a natural driver for workplace ethics, says Cherryl Cooper of Grant Thornton UK. She recommends a five-step approach to EDI-based communication.
A team of people at their desks working on their laptops
Applying the building blocks of ethical culture
  • Article
  • 04 Nov 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
From whistleblowing and governance to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and the use of AI, Global Ethics Day speakers unveiled a host of ideas for building and upholding strong organisational ethics.
Alina Cummins, Head of Finance at Serpentine, young woman standing in front of wall mural colourful
Meet the mentee: Aimydj Elenda
  • Article
  • 27 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
The ACA Student Mentoring Programme has helped audit and accounts trainee Aimydj Elenda build his professional skills, as well as provide that extra bit of motivation to complete his studies.
A person holding a tablet device displaying various graphs
Is AI the cure for economic stagnation?
  • Article
  • 14 Oct 2025
  • ICAEW Insights
While economic growth is a priority for the UK Government, there are still doubts about whether technology and AI can truly serve as a saviour. Swedish economist Carl Benedikt Frey explores the key to economic success and increased productivity.
digital image of an elephant wearing the United States of America flag stripes and stars
Long read: Europe’s response to the DEI backlash
  • Article
  • 09 Sep 2025
  • Vicky Meek
As diversity, equity and inclusion programmes come under attack from President Trump’s executive orders, following a rise in adverse sentiment in some quarters, how are Europe’s private equity firms responding? Vicky Meek reports.
Still wasting time on manual accounting?
  • Article
  • 12 Aug 2025
  • Sage
Imagine freeing yourself from endless data entry, instantly catching errors, and turning your financial data into powerful client insights at lightning speed. Sage’s Authentic Intelligence isn’t just smarter accounting. It’s your secret weapon to impress clients, grow your practice, and finally take control of your day. And it’s available in every Sage for Accountants plan.
digital illustration of a city buildings skyscrapers apartments offices on a yellow background
Insight: CDFIs
  • Article
  • 10 Jul 2025
  • Jason Sinclair
Addressing the funding gap for small businesses, often women- or ethnic minority-led, has been a perennial problem as they fail to meet banks’ lending risk profiles. We look at community development finance institutions, an initiative with its roots in 1970s Chicago.
Exclusive Navigating the complexities of diversity and inclusion in the workforce
  • Article
  • 13 Jun 2025
  • Ololade Adesanya, Global Head of Asset Management and insurance Audit, HSBC
Equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) is currently the subject of intense debate. Does it still serve a purpose in today’s organisations?

Industry press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides a hand-picked collection of industry press articles as a benefit of ICAEW membership. If you are unable to access an article, please see our Online resources troubleshooting or contact library@icaew.com.
Exclusive How women can win in the workplace
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2025
  • Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, María del Mar Martínez
Despite excelling academically, women often fall behind in career advancement due to a lack of experience capital. This article discusses systemic issues and offers strategies for women to build skills and advance their careers, including seeking supportive employers, making bold career moves, and embracing technology.
Exclusive Time to double down on DEI
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2025
  • Paige Hagy
Paige Hagy examines the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within the accounting profession, against the backdrop of a wider corporate pushback against these initiatives.
Exclusive UK asset managers push for greater ethnic diversity on boards
  • Article
  • 06 Nov 2024
  • Lucca de Paoli
The Investment Association plans to warn shareholders about companies that aren't making enough progress on increasing ethnic diversity in their boardrooms.
Women appointed or testified as sole expert witnesses in just 9% of disputes worldwide in 2023, new survey from ERE reveals
  • Article
  • 17 Jul 2024
  • Kathryn Britten
The second survey from Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses (ERE), conducted in collaboration with global consulting firm AlixPartners, reveals a growing desire among legal professionals to effect change – and a burgeoning pipeline of aspiring expert witnesses – notwithstanding a lack of tangible progress in the number of women taking the witness stand.
Exclusive All-white boards becoming more common, says UK retailers report
  • Article
  • 25 Jun 2024
  • Jennifer Creery
A new report has found that the proportion of British retailers with all-White boards has increased, which is seen as a setback for the industry's efforts to improve diversity.
Exclusive Black chartered accountants in post-apartheid South Africa: Global implications for the profession
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2024
  • Theresa A.Hammond, Sedzani Musundwa
Although South Africa’s Apartheid system legally ended with the advent of democracy in 1994, by 2021 only 15% of chartered accountants were Black. The authors examine this underrepresentation through interviews with 22 Black South Africans who earned their chartered accountancy certification in the second decade of the 21st century. While the officially mandated educational and employment barriers that previous generations faced have been dismantled, the authors found that aspiring Black accountants continue to face immense barriers to entering the profession.
Exclusive Diversity and the evaluation of talent in the accounting profession: The enigma of merit
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2024
  • Fiona Anderson-Gough, Carla Edgley, Keith Robson, Nina Sharma
While accounting firms are facing recruitment and retention problems, regulatory bodies are calling for efforts to improve diversity to be more effective, especially at senior levels. In this paper, the authors discuss 'merit' in processes of performance evaluation and career progression. Based on interviews in Big 4, mid-tier and small professional services firms in the UK, the authors explore how the working environment and culture in firms can potentially inhibit moves to improving diversity.
Exclusive Perceived organizational inclusion: Evidence from neurodivergent accountants in the US
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2024
  • Qi Duong, Loreal Jiles, Roopa Venkatesh
The authors examine the intersection of neurodiversity and accounting employment by exploring the work experiences of neurodivergent accountants in the US. They attempt to answer the question: 'How can neurodivergent accountants’ perceived organizational inclusion be improved?' Their study amplifies the voices of neurodivergent accountants, providing insights to key factors that shape neurodivergent accountants’ experiences of inclusion, while informing future organizational strategies through 37 recommended actionable practices.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access articles subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

Articles and books in the Library collection

The ICAEW Library & Information Service holds a print collection of over 45,000 books and around 160 current professional journals. For information on borrowing books from the Library please contact us or see our guide to book loans. You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

The good governance guide to boardroom dynamics
  • Library book
  • 2021
  • J.Cross
This book looks in detail at issues that affect the board both on an individual and group level. Key topics such as board diversity, technical competence and personal characteristics are addressed, as is the concept of emotional intelligence (EQ), which is crucial to successfully working in a boardroom setting. As well as offering practical direction on how best to work with others and manage talent, it provides guidance on how to maintain personal resilience and develop behavioural agility.
Employment law and pensions
  • Library book
  • 2016
  • D.Pollard
Contains sections giving an overview of pensions provision in the UK, automatic enrolment, employers and pension obligations, unlawful discrimination and pensions (including sex discrimination and age discrimination), employment contracts, employer's powers and consultation, maternity and paternity rights and pensions, TUPE and pensions and cessation of employment and pensions.
A white-collar profession: African American certified public accountants since 1921
  • Library book
  • 2002
  • P.Whitcomb
This book chronicles the stories of several of the pioneering African American men and women who managed to surmount the obstacles to becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and whose history has been all but ignored.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

Reports and surveys

Selected links to guidance, statistics and reports on diversity in the workplace.
Navigating barriers to senior leadership for people from minority ethnic groups in FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies
  • Website
  • Cranfield University
Commissioned by the FRC and conducted by a research team from Cranfield University and Delta Alpha Psi Services, this research looks at the challenges and opportunities that minority ethnic individuals might experience in progressing to the boards of FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies.
European Women on Boards
  • Website
Founded in 2013 EWOB 'directly supports the European Commission in achieving the targets set by the new EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025' and is committed to help corporations make the change by developing talents and skills of senior businesswomen. EWOB publishes the Gender diversity index.
Women in the boardroom: a global perpective
  • Website
  • Global Centre for Corporate Governance
Sixth edition of the report by the Deloitte Global Centre for Corporate Governance, first published in 2011 and last updated in 2019, giving an overview of current initiatives around the world to increase the number of women serving on corporate boards.
Race in the workplace: The McGregor-Smith Review
  • Website
  • GOV.UK
Independent review by Baroness McGregor-Smith considering the issues affecting black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in the workplace. The report makes recommendations for improving recruitment processes, supporting progression and ensuring inclusive workplaces.
Women on boards reports
  • Website
Government hub page for reports relating to Lord Davies of Abersoch's Women on Boards review (published 2011), including the annual review and 5 year summary. See also our page on Women on Boards for further background and information.
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Related topics

We also maintain separate web pages on these topics:
Female boss with colleagues
Board diversity
Considerations and guidance for corporate governance professionals on boardroom diversity.
Glasses on table
Discrimination
Find out more about the law on discrimination with our selection of articles, links and guides to best practice and regulation.
Diverse office workers
Diversity and inclusion
Articles, books and online resources providing background information and guidance on making a workplace more diverse and inclusive to the people who work in it.
Young colleagues at work
Employment tribunals
Employment tribunals hear claims regarding disputes in the workplace. On this page you can find articles, books and online resources providing guidance and background information.
Female colleagues at desk
Women in business
A collection of books, articles and guides on topics of interest to women working in business and accountancy.

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Information, insights, guidance and networking opportunities on a range of industry sectors and at various stages throughout your career.
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