Incorporating NQ magazine
March 2022
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It’s PQ Award Nomination Time Page 17
CREATING AN INCLUSIVE PROFESSION The accountancy profession is finally putting inclusivity at the top of the agenda. ICAEW has launched a ‘Welcome Inclusion’ campaign, to help provide members with the practical tools to drive inclusion across the profession. The move is long overdue. Remember, when it comes to practice just 4.5% of partners are from ethnic minority backgrounds. And the ICAEW also doesn’t seem to be able to attract as many women as the other accountancy bodies. The campaign will focus on three themes – belonging, allyship and fairness – and uses a variety of formats to give members tools and ideas to drive inclusion at their firms. ‘Welcome Inclusion’ launches with a short film featuring a diverse group of 30 ICAEW members and students who discuss their experiences, what inclusion means to them, and the role of unconscious behaviours in exclusion. In the video they participate in training on workplace encounters, and how these can be approached differently to ensure everyone is included. During the campaign, some resources will
be tailored to people at different career stages. The resources will give members tips on how to create a culture of inclusion, such as by implementing diversity and inclusion training, and videos will bring this to life. Michael Izza, ICAEW CEO, said: “ICAEW is committed to helping our members thrive in their professional development throughout their careers. “We are currently delivering industry
FRC IN ‘A PRETTY POOR STATE’ The governance situation at the FRC is in a pretty poor state, according to the chairmandesignate of the accounting watchdog. Jan du Plessis told the Parliamentary BEIS select committee at the pre-appointment hearing: “They haven’t had a permanent chair for goodness how long, they have three non-executive directors; it really is not the way to run the regulator that should
be setting the tone for the whole of British business.” He said it is not good enough, and if appointed one of the first things he will do is address the governance issues. Du Plessis felt it is important to establish the new body as soon as possible – the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA). “It’s important because it is time for
progression by increasing access to the profession and removing complex and sometimes invisible social barriers.” More resources will be released over the next few months and will be available to non-members as well as ICAEW Chartered Accountants. Visit ICAEW’s Diversity and Inclusion hub for more information. Continued on page 9
a new beginning,” he explained. That means demolishing the FRC and starting afresh. Du Plessis said if we want to be serious about avoiding the corporate failures of the past, then what is needed is new legislation that gives real statutory powers. “This can’t be just a rebrand,” he stressed. He also emphasised that the people at the top of the Big 4 have to be ready for change, and unless they play their part “the outcome could be much worse for them”.
