ICAEW’s progress in integrating diversity and inclusion (D&I) into its organisational culture and business practices has been recognised with a Bronze TIDE (talent, inclusion, diversity and equality) award from The Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI).

The TIDE Award is based on a rigorous evaluation of an organisation’s effectiveness in promoting D&I across eight critical areas: workforce composition, strategy and planning, leadership and accountability, recruitment and attraction, training and development, employment practices, communication and engagement, and procurement.

Achieving the bronze TIDE Award marks a significant milestone for ICAEW. Notably, scores in strategy and planning (84%) and attraction and recruitment (84%) were particularly strong, reflecting the Institution’s success in effectively embedding D&I objectives into business strategy and progress in reducing bias in recruitment processes.

The TIDE awards grade organisations across five tiered levels according to the effectiveness of integrating inclusive practices into everyday culture: prepare, mobilise, realise, embed and sustain. ICAEW's performance slightly exceeded the sector's average median, a positive indication that its efforts to advance inclusivity are making meaningful progress.

Yelena Travis-Powell BEM, ICAEW Head of Global Equality, Equity and Belonging, says: “In today’s workplace, diversity and inclusion (D&I) is more than just about values – it’s a business imperative that drives innovation, attracts talent and enhances organisational performance. This year, ICAEW’s D&I score increased by 11 percentage points from 54% to 65% over the past year, recognising that ICAEW had achieved the ‘embed’ level in its D&I activities.”

Pamela Harding, Chief People Officer at ICAEW, emphasises the significance of this achievement: “This award recognises the hard work being put in by colleagues across ICAEW to continuously challenge and improve D&I practices and policies, better engage people and support their wellbeing.”

Key findings from the TIDE report

The TIDE Awards offer detailed feedback and benchmarking, providing an overall score and breaking down performance by specific areas. This delivers actionable insights that organisations can use to continuously refine and improve their D&I strategies. The best performing organisations can earn bronze, silver, or gold TIDE Awards.

ICAEW’s leadership and accountability score of 63% indicates progress in engaging leaders with D&I initiatives.

The road ahead: building on success

While the bronze TIDE Award is in itself a significant achievement, ICAEW is committed to continuing its journey towards greater inclusion and equity, with the ultimate goal of achieving even higher recognition in the future.

In particular, focus will be on amplifying the role of employee resource groups, which are vital in fostering an inclusive environment and driving strategic D&I initiatives. At the same time, ICAEW has committed to better integrating D&I into procurement processes, ensuring that its external supply chain reflects the same high standards of diversity and inclusion championed internally.

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