News

Tomorrow (8th March) marks International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD celebrates women’s achievements, raises awareness about discrimination and encourages us to take action to force gender parity. The theme for this year is accelerate action for gender equality. 

From research completed by charity Caba, who supports the ICAEW community, around 45% of chartered accountants in the UK are women but for many, the accountancy and finance sector can still sometimes feel like a very male-dominated space.   

In celebration of IWD, hear from Harmony Hagger, Client Manager and member of our senior management team, about on her career journey and how she’s found being a female in accountancy.  

“I first started at Gascoynes when I was 18 and I must admit it was daunting to come into an organisation that from the outside appeared to be very male dominated. The directors and managers were all males, and there was overall a lot more males within the workplace than females.  

“Entering into the accountancy industry, I was worried that I would not be able to progress as far as a male would within my role. 

“However, once I joined Gascoynes those fears quickly subsided as everyone is treated equally here. In the 7 years I’ve been here, I have worked through my AAT and ACCA qualifications and I’m now part of the senior management team.  

“It’s been a really special journey to join the senior management team as one of the first females alongside Rebecca Royal.   

“Reflecting on my career journey, I’ve been really lucky that I have been seen just as any other employee and have been given the same opportunities. Unfortunately, many others in the accountancy industry are not given the same fair opportunities as we are at Gascoynes. 

“Research from TaxScouts showed that 47% of respondents felt that their career progression opportunities had not been equal to the male colleagues. This shows that there is still a huge let down in the industry when it comes to females progressing as well as males within the same roles.   

“At Gascoynes you are supported in your role and progression no matter what your gender is. One of our core values is respect, meaning we respect each other no matter what our role is within the firm. 

“Each person’s progression and job is reviewed on performance and aspirations, with every employee being given the same opportunities.  

“We have a progression pathway which helps to guide all our employees through their AAT and ACCA apprenticeships, meaning our focus is on building their skills and behaviours as well as their knowledge, making sure we can be inclusive for all staff. 

“I’m really grateful of all the opportunities I’ve been given while working here and I’m excited to see what the future holds.” 

If you’d like to find out more about what it’s like working at Gascoynes, head over to our careers pages here: https://gascoynes.co.uk/working-at-gascoynes/