We are committed to valuing all genders equally, while recognising the need to tackle barriers and experiences unique to women, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.
We know that we have an equal gender balance up to senior manager, but after that the percentage of women, non-binary and gender non-conforming people in leadership roles decreases. We are, therefore, focusing our efforts on tackling the barriers to progression that our people tell us they face.
Our vision is to remove gender disparity and optimise the lived experience of all our people. We know that gender balanced leadership teams are better for business and diverse decision-making.
For women, non-binary and gender non-conforming people, gender equity means:
Our gender equity initiatives positively impact all genders by seeking to provide tailored tools to identify and address inequality, opportunities to challenge typical gender stereotypes, and the balancing of family care responsibilities and the ability for everyone to work flexibly.
Achieving gender equity is an ongoing journey - one that requires continuous action and accountability. That’s why we’ve developed a gender strategy with stretching targets to increase the representation of women, non-binary and gender non-conforming people at senior levels. Our focus is on addressing barriers to progression and building a gender-balanced pipeline of talent to lead our firm into the future.
Looking ahead, we’re strengthening support in key areas such as domestic abuse, flexible working, caring responsibilities, and family leave - ensuring our policies and culture continue to evolve to meet the needs of our people.
We’re also honing in on intersectionality - the understanding that people’s experiences of gender are shaped by other aspects of their identity, such as race, age, disability, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background. These overlapping identities can create unique challenges and barriers. By recognising and addressing this complexity, we’re taking a more inclusive and nuanced approach to workplace equity.
We know that gender equity isn’t something women, non-binary and gender non-conforming people can solve alone. Real progress requires everyone’s involvement. That’s why we’re actively engaging men in the conversation, especially those in leadership roles, to help influence change and champion equity across the firm.
We have an established gender equality network, which is open to all genders. The network provides our people with a space to connect, share experiences and support each other. The network hosts a series of planned events throughout the year, aimed at promoting an understanding of the barriers that women, non-binary and gender non-conforming people face in the workplace and providing guidance on how these challenges can be addressed.
We’ve recently launched Catalyst, a refreshed internal development programme designed to support under-represented talent across our organisation. Building on the success of previous initiatives, Catalyst furthers our commitment to supporting female talent alongside other colleagues from underrepresented backgrounds in their career progression.
We have started a male allyship programme to help educate men on the importance and benefits of gender equity, highlighting the crucial role men have to play in achieving gender equity.
We introduced enhanced family leave policies. For example, our new paternity policy enables non-childbearing parents the ability to take up to six weeks paternity leave at full pay or a maximum of 12 weeks paternity leave at half pay (inclusive of statutory pay) and the flexibility to take paternity leave in up to three blocks, within the first year.
We are working on improving the family leave lived experience by implementing key enhancements to the processes prior, during and on return from family leave. Individuals are also benefiting from an increased return-to-work support offering, including the provision of coaching and mentoring, thereby helping to ensure a smooth transition back to work.
We introduced a ‘how we work’ framework when we returned to offices after the pandemic. This framework encourages all our people to work in an agile way as it best suits them, their team, and their clients. This supports individuals to achieve a healthy, work/life balance by allowing flexibility in where and when they choose to work, facilitating activities such as school pick-ups, carer responsibilities, gym classes or volunteering, within the ‘traditional’ working day. Flexible working options, such as part time, annualised hours and job sharing are also available and promoted, in order to retain and attract gender-balanced talent.
We’re committed to supporting gender-related health in the workplace. Through our partnership with Peppy, colleagues have access to expert support and advice during the menopause transition. We also run regular education and awareness sessions to encourage open, inclusive conversations around gender-related health. To support menstrual wellbeing, we provide free, eco-friendly sanitary products in all our offices.
We’re proud to have recently been accredited as a Family Inclusive Workplace. As one of the first organisations to receive this recognition, we’re also a supporting partner in helping others adopt the standard - reinforcing our commitment to building a flexible, family-friendly workplace culture for all.
We’ve also committed to the Women in Finance Charter, are proud to be recognised as a Times Top 50 Employer for Gender Equality 2025, a Top 10 Employer for Working Families 2025, and were the winner of the Working Families Best Practice All Round Flexibility Award in 2024.
These achievements reflect our ongoing focus on creating a workplace where flexibility, inclusion and support are part of everyday working life.
We are working to eliminate the gender pay gap, which we recognise exists as a result of systematic cultural barriers to progression.
Supported by a culture of trust and flexibility, Ashton’s journey at the firm has been shaped by leaps of faith and her desire to keep learning. In her own words, Ashton shares how recognising her own transferable skills, building strong relationships and embracing change has led to not just professional development – but personal growth.
We chatted with Preet about her journey to Grant Thornton and how her varied experiences shaped her career. From early roles in professional services to quickly moving up the ranks at the firm, Preet's story shows the power of grabbing opportunities, having a supportive workplace, and championing working mothers.
Elena joined our Valuations Team in January 2023, after a three-year break from the workplace. We caught up with her about her first year here, how she re-adjusted to work and to get her advice to others considering a return to work.
The UK’s national charity for working parents and carers, Working Families, has announced that Grant Thornton has been awarded a place on its prestigious and competitive list of the top family-friendly and flexible employers.
Our vision is to create an inclusive firm where there is no disparity in pay or opportunity regardless of gender or ethnicity.
Partner and Gender Convenor
Partner Strategic Leadership Team and Board Sponsor for Gender
Head of I&D and ESG
Explore our flagship global Women in Business report, which draws on our International Business Report (IBR) research to examine the progress of women in senior leadership roles across the mid-market. While progress continues, gender parity remains decades away. The report highlights a drop in female CEOs and reinforces the need for leadership accountability, strategic focus, and flexible working to accelerate change.