Embracing diversity, equity and inclusion isn’t a tick-box exercise, it’s a competitive advantage. True innovation happens when everyone has a seat at the table. It just makes business sense.

Nexia’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, Encouraging Inclusion aims to support gender equality and provide training and tools to help member firms globally to build inclusive, diverse and equitable cultures for both moral and business benefit.

There is a lot of evidence from McKinsey & Company, Harvard University, LSE and other institutions that firms with diverse, equitable and inclusive cultures are more successful and profitable.

How does a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture benefit the bottom line?

• Increased innovation due to the cognitive diversity of teams.
• Improved efficiency and productivity due to the psychologically safe culture where staff feel comfortable speaking up, giving feedback and sharing their ideas.
• Reduced employee turnover and improved ability to attract top talent, due to a positive and strong company culture, staff feel part of a family and don’t want to leave.
  

What steps can your firm take to encourage a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture?

1. Keep data on the diversity of your board, senior leadership team, partners and of any committees in your firm and publish this internally.

2. Ensure you are providing equal opportunities for learning and development and advancement within your firm and consider an internal mentorship and sponsorship programme to support women and other underrepresented groups.

3. Consider flexible working arrangements for families with childcare responsibilities and be aware of other challenges faced by women such as the menopause and also by underrepresented groups.

4. If you don’t already have them ensure your firm has policies on gender-neutral roles, equal pay, promotions and anti-harassment, and consider forming a DEI committee.

5. Raise awareness of unconscious bias through training and ensure transparency and equal opportunities in the hiring process.

6. Encourage women and employees from underrepresented groups in your firm to apply for promotions and put themselves forward to present at events and take part in panels to increase their visibility.

Nexia’s DEI achievements so far

• Nexia won the Diversity, equity & inclusion award at the at the International Accounting Forum & Awards 2023 for our Aspiring Women Leaders programme – that has been attended by more than 100 women talented women within the network.
• Provided an annual bursary for dozens of women to benefit from 3 months of executive coaching sessions to help them reach their potential.
• Global Nexia DEI taskforce established to support our member firms to embrace diverse, equitable and inclusive cultures.
• Increased the number of female partners in the network from 22 to 30%
• Successful joint International Women’s Day webinar with AGN in March 2025 with 200 participants.

How will Nexia continue to encourage and promote diverse, equitable and inclusive cultures in 2025/26?

• Best-selling author, globally recognized keynote speaker and creator of Linkedin Learning courses that have been viewed more than 2 millions times Stacey Gordon will deliver a series of webinars on how to improve gender equity and address unconscious bias in the workplace.
• Nexia member firms will benefit in 2025 from a bursary to register their female talent to attend the award-winning Nexia Aspiring Women Leaders programme.
• Twenty women from the Aspiring Women Leaders programme will benefit from 3 months of high-quality one-to-one coaching to support their professional development.
• Nexia is developing some tools and a maturity assessment to educate and support leaders and staff at all levels to encourage and improve diversity, equity and inclusion within their firms.

It just makes business sense.