"Through appointing a Chief Diversity Officer, efforts are being reflected by top level management to drive a culture of inclusion in line with the firm's vision and strategy."
Priorities
Our Bold Ambition
We learn. We share. We grow.
It's our Bold Ambition for the public company audit profession to pave the way towards a more inclusive, future state of community.
We are committed to making change.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion is more than just an idea: it is an action. The accounting profession is committed to working collectively to make its own community reflective of the one it serves.
$515+M
Total investments from the firms
+45%
Average firm goal for increasing workforce diversity
ONE
BOLD AMBITION
We are committed to a
Through education and action from policymakers, academia, the media, stakeholders, and the public company audit profession itself, Bold Ambition is paving the way for our collective vision of diversity and inclusion to drive better business outcomes. One initiative, Accounting+, recognizes the gap in African American, Black, and Hispanic accounting students and professionals. Accounting+ serves as a resource to educate, encourage, and facilitate the adoption of accounting as a career path.
Change starts in our own offices, in our own homes and in our communities.
Wayne Berson, Chief Executive Officer, BDO
“Feeling free to be myself at work”
is a key driver of engagement.
+7 points
higher retention
+10 points
higher revenue growth
+6 points
higher gross margin
Progressive actions are being taken amongst firms across the accounting profession. Transparency and continued measurement leads to accountability - and through understanding workforce dynamics, concerns, opportunities, and challenges, we create a more inclusive, higher performing workforce that delivers improved business results.
"Our Multicultural Alliance employee inclusion group serves as a valuable resource for professionals and cultivates a supportive community through in-person and virtual networking, volunteer events, mentoring, and professional development."
"Implicit bias training helps professionals identify common bias and teaches ways to slow thinking to make better decisions. All new hires complete the implicit bias training and it is considered a core leadership requirement and as such, valuable criterion for promotion."
We need to have a different conversation on what it means to have a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture to drive further and faster change.
Leslie Patterson, EY Americas and US Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness Leader
Operating under the belief that you can't be what you can't see, Accounting+ is introducing the next generation of diverse students to the limitless possibilities a career in accounting holds, tackling long-held misconceptions about accounting, and providing students with resources that will guide them on their path into a successful career.
The current generation of students grew up in a world that was far more diverse than previous generations, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a top priority when choosing a potential career and/or workplace. While the post-millennial generation is set to be the most racially and ethnically diverse population the US has ever seen, the rate of Black and Hispanic/Latino accountants has remained stagnant for many years. 2020 IPEDs data indicates only 7% Accounting graduates were Black and 13% were Hispanic/Latino. Through Accounting+, we strive to meet this generation's table stakes demand and make the accounting profession look more like the society they have grown up in.
Accounting+ is a first-of-its kind, profession-backed, multi-year campaign to actively engage high school and college students with dynamic, tailored resources on the benefits of a career in accounting. The campaign's strategy is rooted in proprietary research on student perceptions about accounting and led by multicultural marketing and communications experts with long-standing experience in the communities we are working to reach. This is a campaign powered by the collective resources of leading companies and organizations in the US, and with this unified effort comes greater efficiency at scale, access to partnerships and avoidance of duplicative efforts.
Bold Ambition is supported by the Center for Audit Quality and its eight governing board firms.
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