KPMG's Vice Chair on unlocking the potential that exists in 'all corners of our society'

KPMG won this year’s Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the inaugural category of ‘Promoting Opportunity’ for its work on social mobility.

The big four firm was one of the first organisations in the UK to start paying their employees the voluntary living wage and was the first to publish comprehensive socioeconomic data about their workforce.

According to Melanie Richards, Vice Chair of KPMG in the UK, being transparent about their workforce has made a real difference. “I’m a great believer in the saying ‘what gets measured, gets done’.” she says. “We’ve had social mobility as a top business priority for a long time, but there is no doubt that having our performance out there for the world to see focuses the mind.

Richards told us why social mobility is a priority for KPMG: “First and foremost, it’s the right thing to do. No one should be denied access to a career at KPMG because of their background and, for us, that’s a good enough reason in itself.