The AAT has signed the Women in Finance Charter, a measure designed to promote gender equality in the finance industry, and in signing have become the first major accountancy body to do so.
The charter was created in March 2016 by the treasury, and the AAT said that the decision to sign was based on signatories’ commitment to gender diversity as well as their desire to support the progression of women into senior roles.
At the time of writing, women make up over 66 per cent of the AAT’s worldwide membership, and a whitepaper had previously been issued with the intention of addressing the gender pay gap.
Olivia Hill, chief HR officer at AAT, said: “We are proud to be the first accountancy body to have signed the Women in Finance Charter. AAT has been at the very heart of encouraging gender diversity across the accountancy and finance profession and through signing, we are demonstrating our ongoing commitment to this important cause.”
Baroness Neville-Rolfe, commercial secretary to the Treasury, said: “I know how difficult it can be for a woman to get the recognition she deserves and achieve her potential. And in financial services particularly, women progress too slowly or they leave the sector completely.
“We have made a strong start – the first anniversary of the Women in Finance Charter sees 122 firms seizing the competitive advantage by tackling sex inequality head on.
“But this is just the beginning. The financial industry is famed for its ability to identify opportunities to improve productivity. The Women in Finance Charter is one of those opportunities. It offers the chance to increase diversity of thought and for the financial services sector to better reflect the society it serves. This is why I encourage firms across the UK to step up and sign the charter.”
