Accountancy tackles gender crisis
Big Four firm KPMG has reacted to last week's damning Accountancy Age Top 50 survey, which revealed only one in 10 partners are women, by announcing 12 new partners, a third of which are female.
Link: Top 50 special report
The firm said it would announce the appointment of four female partners this week, adding it was ‘aware there is an issue with retaining female talent’. The firm said it had implemented a ‘range of measurements’ to make it easier for women to stay long enough to reach partner level.
All Big Four firms claim to have begun measures to boost the numbers of female partners in the wake of last week’s revelations. ‘We recognise it as an issue, and are putting up structures to deal with it,’ a Deloitte spokeswoman said, but went on to say that it was ‘early days yet’.
Sarah Churchman, head of diversity at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the firm had launched a ‘women’s network’ which makes senior female staff more accessible.
Steve Rolls, national director of resourcing at Ernst & Young, said the promotion of two part-time female partners showed the firm offered flexible working practices.