Men do not possess a monopoly on accounting skills, Jan Babiak, Ernst & Young’s regulatory chief said this week, as Accountancy Age’s Top 50 revealed that less than 10% of partners in the firms are women.

‘I can’t believe that the talent only resides in one gender,’ said Babiak. ‘Women feel excluded and will opt out because they don’t feel that they’re welcome in [some] environments even though they have great talent,’ she added.

Linda Richardson of Morley and Scott, the only female managing partner in the Top 50, said: ‘I think it’s a matter of choice, when it comes down to it. It isn’t necessarily a matter of discrimination against a woman, it’s more of a choice that a woman makes in her life.’

Watch our interview with Babiak and Richardson on accountancyage.com/tv