PwC’s Julie McKay among global top ten for diversity & inclusion
Online specialist publication Sustainability Magazine has selected PwC Australia’s Julie McKay as one of the world’s leading figures for diversity & inclusion alongside nine of her global peers.
PwC Australia’s chief diversity, inclusion & well-being officer Julie McKay has been named as one of the world’s top ten executives working in the field.
McKay appears alongside fellow professional services leaders Carla Grant Pickens of IBM Consulting’s US business and Fleur Bothwick, who leads EY’s D&I efforts across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa from London.
“As diversity, equity and inclusion is becoming increasingly important to businesses, a number of individuals are stepping up to lead the charge and make progressive, lasting change,” the authors write. “These top 10 diversity leaders are challenging norms, fostering inclusive cultures and empowering marginalised voices, while striving for a more equitable future where diversity is celebrated, disparities are dismantled, and inclusion is the norm.”
Recruited from her UN Women executive director role in 2016 – and until recently a member of PwC’s executive committee – McKay boasts a further background as a gender advisor to the chief of the Australian Defence Force and national manager for the White Ribbon campaign for the end of violence towards women. She has also previously served as a member of the University of Sydney’s alumni council and chair of its Women’s College.
At PwC, McKay is responsible for overseeing the implementation of what Sustainability Magazine describes as the firm’s world-leading D&I strategy, which is based around four key pillars designed to shift the mindset and behaviours of its leaders; stepping up, creating accountability, disrupting the status quo, and dismantling career barriers. She is also tasked with ensuring that employee mental health, resilience and well-being are business priorities.
“Diversity and inclusion is fundamentally about our people’s well-being and sense of psychological safety and belonging,” McKay states in PwC’s last access and inclusion plan. “It’s about our people feeling their contributions are valued and being comfortable raising ideas and concerns, to bring out the best, most productive versions of themselves. When people from different backgrounds and different points of view work together, we create the most value.”
Other D&I champions
Headed by Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahit, the magazine’s list of leading D&I champions further included IBM Consulting human resources vice president and two-and-half-decade company veteran Carla Grant Pickens, and Ernst & Young EMEIA diversity and inclusive leadership director Fleur Bothwick.
Now global head of inclusion at consumer goods company Reckitt, EY’s former UK D&I leader Carrie Adams also featured on the list.
The consulting industry has also featured prominently on Sustainability Magazine’s latest list of the world’s 100 leading companies for sustainability, with Deloitte, Accenture, Capgemini, and McKinsey & Company joining PwC and EY among the top 30-ranked global change-makers. “In a world where every step counts, these companies have risen to the challenge and proven that being sustainable isn’t just a buzzword – it’s a game-changer.”
