What we’re doing to promote EDI at ICAS
At ICAS, we are committed to promoting and embedding a culture of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) across the profession and within our organisation. In 2020, we set out our commitment in a statement of intent:
ICAS is committed to placing equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of all that we do. With our partner organisations, we are committed to building a diverse membership and workforce that reflects and advances the communities we serve. We aspire to lead our profession in addressing these challenges, so that we can learn, grow and advance together.
As part of our journey, we have committed to publishing the EDI demographic of our Council and Boards, which includes Members Board, Qualifications Board, Regulation Board, Policy Leadership Board, Ethics Board, Members in Practice Advisory Board and the EDI Committee, every two years.
Last published in August 2021, we have again collected voluntary EDI data from our members. Data collection and analysis allows us to better understand current challenges and opportunities in terms of EDI across our whole organisation. Overall, we want to garner a more holistic and transparent EDI data profile to identify and take action to address any potential discrimination, harassment, and/or unconscious/conscious bias.
We have been working hard to ensure that we embrace EDI in all that we do. This includes all internal and external-facing communications and across our social and digital channels. Over the last year, ICAS has pursued the following initiatives:
Women in Finance Charter
We joined the UK Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter in June. The charter is dedicated to supporting the progression of women into senior roles in the financial services sector. By signing up to the charter we are joining over 400 other organisations, ranging from banks, large corporations and small start-ups, working together to create a more equal profession.
Rise
We signed up to the Rise social mobility initiative in November last year. The initiative was established to help young people from low socio-economic backgrounds realise and raise their aspirations, by ensuring they have the skills required to succeed in life and work.
Black Members' Network
We are building a Black Members’ Network – a member-led community, open to both Black members and allies. The network will inspire, support and foster our existing Black members and students throughout their careers. Our goal is to create a sense of belonging by providing a safe forum where members can network, socialise, share, question, challenge, and receive support and advice in relation to race equality.
Free Evolve wellbeing helpline
We provide a free confidential helpline that gives Evolve members, including CAs and non-CAs working in firms, access to experienced counsellors and advisers who are there with support 24/7. As well as the confidential helpline, members can benefit from the online wellbeing portal and app to access advice and wellbeing support.
Championing Unique Perspectives
We’ve continued to promote our members and their unique perspectives though our EDI campaign, Championing Unique Perspectives. The campaign aims to drive up awareness of our diverse membership and to build awareness and possible solutions on the key themes of EDI and how to integrate them into working practices.
Days of observance and celebration
We have continued to support and celebrate Pride month, South Asian Heritage Month and will be supporting Black History Month in October.
Research and collaboration
Working with CAW (Chartered Accountants Worldwide) we participated in and launched global research on the barriers affecting women at mid-career in the accountancy profession. The report found that there are still significant barriers to career progression and highlighted the change required in business culture to nurture and support female talent.
Content amplification
Through CA magazine, on our website and in our communications, we continue to promote EDI and lead the debate through a range of features and articles.
Together, we will
In April, we launched a new strategy which places EDI at the heart of all that we aim to achieve over the next eight-years. Our ambitious vision is to create a bold future for ICAS. We’re redefining who we are and what we stand for, allowing us to navigate challenges and embrace opportunities. We’re adapting to and embracing positive change, with a renewed focus on always delivering value for our membership and wider society.
ICAS Foundation
We continue to support and champion the role that the ICAS Foundation plays to widen access to the profession to academically bright students from challenging socio-economic backgrounds. The Foundation has set a bold vision for its future through its newly released strategy.