Australia's top professional services firms for LGBTQ inclusion

07 June 2022 Consultancy.com.au

A cohort of professional services firms – including employers of the year Capgemini and Boston Consulting Group – have been named winners at this year’s Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards.

This year, a record number of over 170 organisations participated in the Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards, opening up their employees to a survey that assesses workplaces on the impact and progress of their LGBTQ inclusion policies, initiatives, and culture.

“The employee survey for the LGBTQ competition provides us with a great insight into workplace attitudes towards diversity and inclusion, and sheds light on the top employers for LGBTQ communities,” said Dawn Emsen-Hough, Director of ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs, which hosts the annual competition.

Australia's top professional services firms for LGBTQ inclusion

For the second year in a row, information technology services and consulting company Capgemini was named ‘Employer of the Year’, while global strategy consultancy Boston Consulting Group was named ‘Small Employer of the Year’, succeeding Oliver Wyman, which this year landed a Bronze recognition in the Small Employer category.

Other professional services firms that bagged top honours include Accenture, EY, and PwC (named in the Platinum band), while Deloitte, Fujitsu, IBM, and KPMG were appointed to the Gold band. Grant Thornton, and engineering consultancies Arup, Aurecon, and Jacobs (the parent of PA Consulting) received Silver and Bronze recognitions.

A round-up of the professional services firms recognised in the LGBTQ Inclusion Awards 2022:

Employer of the Year
Capgemini

Small Employer of the Year
Boston Consulting Group

Platinum Employers
Accenture
EY
PwC

Platinum Qualifiers
Capgemini
Deloitte

Gold Employers
Capgemini
Deloitte
Fujitsu
IBM
KPMG

Silver Employers
Grant Thornton

Bronze Employers
Arup
Aurecon
Jacobs (including subsidiary PA Consulting)

Small Employer Gold
Boston Consulting Group

Small Employer Bronze
Oliver Wyman

Emsen-Hough: “Over the past year, we have seen remarkable growth and improvements in workplace diversity and inclusion practices. As the effect of the pandemic continues to be felt by everyone, as well as issues facing global economies, it’s incredibly encouraging to see workplaces in Australia continue to remain dedicated and committed to greater inclusion of our LGBTQ communities.”

According to 2021 research from Boston Consulting Group, Australian employees who identify as LGBTQ+ feel largely more comfortable in being out in the workplace than many of their international peers.