Mark Palvides, ICAEW interim Managing Director, Operations, has been appointed Chair of social mobility charity Access Accountancy, succeeding Sharron Gunn.  

The charity aims to level the playing field for all people interested in accessing and progressing in an accountancy career, promoting a purely merit-based approach to career development. It includes 29 member organisations, including the sector’s biggest firms, with a commitment to improving outreach, recruitment and culture. More than 6,000 work experience placements have been offered to students since the charity’s foundation in 2014.

“Access Accountancy plays a vital role in ensuring that talented young people, regardless of their background, have a fair chance to build a career in accountancy,” says Pavlides. “There’s still a lot of work to do in improving social mobility in the profession. I’m looking forward to working with the trustees, signatories and wider stakeholders to drive meaningful progress. The more we open doors, the stronger and more diverse our profession will become.”

He thanked Gunn for her input over the past 18 months, on behalf of all trustees. 

Pavlides has previously held senior leadership roles at ACCA, Govia Thameslink Railway, William Hill, AIG and British Airways.