Grant Thornton has been included in the list for the fifth consecutive year while the inclusion marks the sixteenth year for PwC.

Organised by Business in the Community in partnership with The Times, the Top 50 is the UK’s leading benchmark for gender equality in the workplace. The submission process is rigorous and evidence-based, requiring organisations to demonstrate real progress across representation, progression, pay, flexible working, family support and inclusive culture. 

Grant Thornton UK’s mean gender pay gap has halved since 2022, falling from 22% to 11.43% in 2025, driven primarily by increased female representation at director level – rising from 22% in 2022 to 37% in 2025. Retention following parental leave has also strengthened: female retention in the two years following return from family leave increased from 67.7% to 72.3%. 

Underpinning this progress is a programme of targeted action. The firm’s Catalyst initiative supports under-represented talent across the organisation, providing high-performing, high-potential colleagues from underrepresented backgrounds with structured development and progression support.  

On family support, the firm’s paternity policy now enables non-childbearing parents to take up to six weeks’ leave at full pay, or up to 12 weeks at half pay, with the flexibility to take leave in up to three blocks within the first year. Grant Thornton UK also sponsored the launch of the Family Inclusive Workplace accreditation in the UK and became one of the first organisations to receive it, while maintaining its position as a Top 10 Working Families Employer in 2025. 

Abigail Fisher, chief people officer at Grant Thornton UK, said: “What I’m proud of is that our approach to gender equality has been consistent and deliberate. This recognition reflects the collective effort of everyone across the firm who has played a role in making Grant Thornton a place where people can genuinely build their careers, whatever their background or circumstances. 

“I’ve seen real progress in how we develop our senior pipeline and in the way flexibility and family support are now embedded as a normal part of how we work, not an exception to it. Today, 75% of our Service Line Leadership team are female and 50% of our broader leadership team - that’s not by chance. It reflects how seriously we take gender equality, and the kind of change that lasts.” 

In PwC UK’s latest reporting year (FY25), the median gender pay gap for staff and partners was 4.7%, down from 7.0% in FY24. 

Alongside this, the firm continues to enhance and strengthen its policies and support across key life stages, including parental leave, fertility support, menopause support and flexible working arrangements. These are supported by employee-led initiatives, such as the firmwide Gender Balance Network which creates an inclusive space for mentoring, development and community building, as well as other sector-based networks, such as Women in Tech and Women in Defence.  

Sarah Minor-Massy, head of culture, inclusion and engagement at PwC UK, said: “Being recognised in The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality for the eleventh year running reflects our continued commitment to building a more gender balanced workplace. We’re proud to have been a pioneer in gender pay gap reporting - long before it was a legal requirement - as part of our commitment to transparency and holding ourselves accountable for change.  

“Creating an inclusive environment with diverse talent at all levels is a strategic priority for us. We continue to take a data-led and evidence-based approach to identifying and removing barriers, with a particular focus on increasing the representation of women and ethnic minorities in our partnership.  

“While we’ve made progress, we recognise there is more to do, particularly at the senior levels of our organisation, and we remain committed to increasing representation, strengthening progression and creating more equitable outcomes across our workforce.”