CA ANZ is launching its inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy as part of our overall strategic roadmap to 2025. This is an important part of supporting the sustainable growth and development of our profession as we look to attract and retain talent and support them to thrive.

Last year members were invited to participate in a survey to help inform this strategy and, crucially, understand where we are at as a profession, our perspectives and experiences.

Strong foundations to build on

Pleasingly, the results show our profession is making good progress toward developing an inclusive and diverse workplace. More than 88% of respondents feel they are a valued and essential part of their team, and relatively few members report experiencing direct discrimination based on their personal characteristics.

However, like all industries, there are areas that need addressing if we are to continue to grow in a positive direction.

Some members reported being bullied or undermined in the workplace. Some said they have experienced bullying or sexual harassment over the past five years. Members with disabilities, and members from the LGBTQIA+ community are far more likely to have had negative experiences. You can read more about the survey results here.

Driving sustainable change

As a profession we have a choice in how to respond to these results. We can do nothing, or we can see this as an opportunity to reflect and take personal responsibility for driving sustainable change that will benefit everyone who interacts with our profession.

“We can take personal responsibility for driving sustainable change that will benefit everyone.”

CA ANZ’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy is our plan and commitment to help all members play a role in creating an inclusive and respectful profession and provide the tools and solutions in areas such as:

• Who we build relationships with, especially those who we may not naturally connect with, because they have different interests or perhaps less in common
• How we extend our support, personally and professionally, when it comes to navigating career paths and challenges
• How we speak up or support others to speak up when we see inappropriate behaviour at work.

We have a strong foundation to build on and a community of more than 131,000 incredible members living and working around the world.

Collectively, we can drive sustainable change. We can create a workplace and profession that welcomes diversity of thought, strives for excellence on every level and gives everyone the same chance to thrive regardless of their personal characteristics or circumstances. By doing that, we can attract, retain and engage the very best talent and support all our members to have meaningful and fulfilling careers.

It will take courage, but I know together we are up for the challenge.

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