Rachel Hopcroft is Chair of the Access Accountancy Patron Group and Head of Corporate Affairs at KPMG UK LLP
July 2018
The Social Mobility Employer Index has been a real game changer in accelerating business interest in the issue of social mobility. It helps to highlight best practice, provides tailored guidance on what more each of us can be doing and facilitates greater collaboration. The accountancy profession is leading the way – with six Access Accountancy members in the top 20 of this year’s Index.
Access Accountancy is an ambitious collaboration of employers and professional bodies, dedicated to improving access to the accountancy profession. Our vision is a profession that better reflects the socio-economic demographic of wider society. Set up in 2014, Access Accountancy has 27 members – including professional bodies, the Big 4 firms, through to small accountancy practices. Putting competition aside, members have committed to measurable outcomes by 2019. This includes delivering 3,750 high quality work experience placements to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
As Chair of the Access Accountancy Patron Group, we know there is more we can do to push ourselves and others. We feel a responsibility and a sense of pride sharing best practice and our key learnings with other sectors. Through our collective leadership, contributing evidence-based interventions to the social mobility debate, we hope to drive change in our own industry and beyond.
The Top 50 Social Mobility Employer Index 2018 rankings
1 KPMG UK LLP
2 Grant Thornton UK
3 Ministry of Justice
4 Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
5 Deloitte
6 PwC
7 EY
8 Enterprise Rent-A-Car
9 Civil Service Fast Stream and Early Talent
10 Baker McKenzie
11 Linklaters LLP
12 J.P. Morgan
13 Aviva PLC
14 Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC
15 Herbert Smith Freehills
16 Mazars
17 Department for Work & Pensions
18 Department for Education
19 Freeths LLP
20 Severn Trent
21 O2
22 Clifford Chance LLP
23 Eversheds Sutherland LLP
24 The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple
25 Department for International Trade
26 Capgemini UK
27 Fujitsu
28 BBC
29 Standard Life Aberdeen
30 JLL
31 National Grid PLC
32 Barts Health NHS Trust
33 The Co-op
34 HM Treasury
35 Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
36 Hogan Lovells International LLP
37 Financial Conduct Authority
38 DLA Piper
39 Penguin Random House UK
40 M&G Investments
41 Pinsent Masons LLP
42 Royal Navy and Royal Marines
43 Ministry of Defence
44 HFW
45 Slaughter and May
46 HM Revenue & Customs
47 Mayer Brown International LLP
48 Dentons
49 Santander UK
50 British Land
Access Accountancy is an ambitious collaboration of employers and professional bodies, dedicated to improving access to the accountancy profession. Our vision is a profession that better reflects the socio-economic demographic of wider society. Set up in 2014, Access Accountancy has 27 members – including professional bodies, the Big 4 firms, through to small accountancy practices. Putting competition aside, members have committed to measurable outcomes by 2019. This includes delivering 3,750 high quality work experience placements to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
As Chair of the Access Accountancy Patron Group, we know there is more we can do to push ourselves and others. We feel a responsibility and a sense of pride sharing best practice and our key learnings with other sectors. Through our collective leadership, contributing evidence-based interventions to the social mobility debate, we hope to drive change in our own industry and beyond.
The Top 50 Social Mobility Employer Index 2018 rankings
1 KPMG UK LLP
2 Grant Thornton UK
3 Ministry of Justice
4 Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
5 Deloitte
6 PwC
7 EY
8 Enterprise Rent-A-Car
9 Civil Service Fast Stream and Early Talent
10 Baker McKenzie
11 Linklaters LLP
12 J.P. Morgan
13 Aviva PLC
14 Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC
15 Herbert Smith Freehills
16 Mazars
17 Department for Work & Pensions
18 Department for Education
19 Freeths LLP
20 Severn Trent
21 O2
22 Clifford Chance LLP
23 Eversheds Sutherland LLP
24 The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple
25 Department for International Trade
26 Capgemini UK
27 Fujitsu
28 BBC
29 Standard Life Aberdeen
30 JLL
31 National Grid PLC
32 Barts Health NHS Trust
33 The Co-op
34 HM Treasury
35 Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
36 Hogan Lovells International LLP
37 Financial Conduct Authority
38 DLA Piper
39 Penguin Random House UK
40 M&G Investments
41 Pinsent Masons LLP
42 Royal Navy and Royal Marines
43 Ministry of Defence
44 HFW
45 Slaughter and May
46 HM Revenue & Customs
47 Mayer Brown International LLP
48 Dentons
49 Santander UK
50 British Land