Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

KPMG Gets Another Award For Being the Big 4 Firm That Is the Least Old, Male, and Pale

Posted on by Jason Bramwell

Did you guys see DiversityInc’s 2019 ranking of the top 50 companies for diversity? In past years, there’s been most, if not all, of the Big 4 represented. But not recently. Only one Big 4 firm made the list in 2018 and 2019, and that firm is KPMG.

Maybe KPMG nearly sweeping Vault’s 2020 accounting firm diversity rankings wasn’t a fluke after all.

KPMG came in ninth in this year’s DiversityInc list of the top 50 companies for diversity, dropping one spot from eighth in 2018.

This year’s top 10 companies are:

  1. AT&T
  2. Marriott International
  3. ADP
  4. Hilton
  5. Eli Lilly and Company
  6. Comcast NBCUniversal
  7. Accenture
  8. Mastercard
  9. KPMG
  10. Abbott

The House of Klynveld has made DiversityInc’s list every year since 2008 and has finished in the top 25 in 10 of those 12 years.

If you’re interested in such things, you can find DiversityInc’s methodology here, which includes:

The DiversityInc Top 50 ranking is based on empirical data obtained through organizations filling out the survey. Participation is free and companies that do business with DiversityInc receive no preferential treatment.

The survey tracks human capital outcomes and connects them with best practices utilized to promote the advancement of underrepresented groups in the workplace. And results are highly regarded by media, corporations, government agencies, academia and the public at large thanks to the exhaustive vetting of data tracking real diversity on the ground.

With more than 200 sophisticated questions — everything from women representation in the corner offices, to Blacks and Latinos getting promotions into management, to manager accountability when it comes to promoting diversity — applicants can see how they truly stack up against their competition and beyond when it comes to championing diversity.

The survey also tracks demographics outside of the employers’ internal workforce, tracking primary and secondary supplier diversity as a reflection of a larger diversity commitment.

While Deloitte is nowhere to be found, EY and PwC—both members of the DiversityInc Top 50 Hall of Fame—weren’t completely shut out in 2019, as they found their way on some of DiversityInc’s “specialty lists.”

Top Companies for Talent Acquisition

4. EY
5. PwC

Top Companies for Supplier Diversity

6. EY
7. PwC

Top Companies for People with Disabilities

6. EY
12. PwC

Top Companies for LGBT Employees (ranked alphabetically)

  • EY
  • KPMG
  • PwC

Top Companies for Employee Resource Groups

1. EY
10. KPMG

Top Companies for Mentoring

5. EY
7. PwC
11. KPMG

Top Companies for Diversity Councils

1. EY
10. KPMG
11. PwC

Top Companies for Executive Women

3. EY
14. KPMG
15. PwC

Top Companies for Sponsorship

6. EY
7. PwC
11. KPMG

Related article:

Vault 2020 Firm Rankings: KPMG Is the Diversitiest of the Big 4

Related Posts

Survey: Accountants Are Absolutely F*cking Miserable at Work

When we talk about the miserable working conditions in public accounting, we’re usually referring to […]

Thinking Career Change? Big 4 Probably Isn’t for You

A reader posed a question to one of Caleb’s posts last week with regards to, “how to get into one of the big four accounting firms as an entry-level auditor when you are a laid off baby boomer with many other experiences?”

My short answer — in so many polite words — is why would anyone want to do that? Even as a recently laid off baby boomer, I can only hope that your career, up until its unexpected termination, was fulfilling. Contacts, networks, referrals, and references; all of these resources should be tapped out before considering a complete career change.


On a more basic level of necessity, I doubt that an entry-level career (well below the average Big 4 salaries earlier discussed) starting between $48,000 and $60,000 is ideal for a baby boomer. This is before the return on investment is even discussed. If I was a recruiter and had to choose between hiring a green recent graduate with minimal zero family obligations versus a baby boomer, parent of three, coming off of a recent firing, the answer is simple. The young buck will complain less, cost less in insurance terms, and has a recent education that can be molded to fit the firm’s methodology.

The typical public accounting career path is set: graduate from school, start career with a Big 4, take your punches and roll up the ranks. Those still standing in 10-12 years make partner. Burnt out souls need not apply; there’s always the private sector.

There are a few exceptions to this rule of thumb. The experienced hiring departments of the Big 4 are consistently recruiting specialized talent from the private sector. Ten years ago this centered heavily around the IT departments, as firm security practices grew exponentially (gotta love those SAS 70’s). Tax specialists are always in need. Many of the firms poach experience from government work, which is about as plug-and-play of a situation as you could hope for.

More on the volatility side of things are the firms’ advisory practices. Through 2005-2008, experienced hiring for the forensic, corporate finance and M&A practices tried desperately to keep up with growth opportunities. Turn the page to 2009 and where do you think the axe fell the most? No question it was the advisory lines. But even now as the markets shed thousands of jobs, a supply of raw talent appeared on the horizon for the Big 4 to gobble up. It can oftentimes be a rollercoaster of both potential and risk, but generally the best opportunities for experienced employment can be found here.

Job of the Day: Bloomberg Needs a Senior Accounting & Finance Analyst

Bloomberg needs someone to join their global accounting group that will be responsible for the Brazil region’s accounting operations, processing and efficiency Metrics for all accounting functions and internal control over transaction processing.

Qualifications include a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, 5 to 7 years of relevant experience, and a CPA license. The position is located in Sao Paulo, Brazil.


Company: Bloomberg

Title: Senior Accounting and Finance Analyst

Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil

Description: The Accounting representative position is a senior-level role within the Global Bloomberg Accounting organization. The successful candidate will be responsible for all cash operations in the region, achievement of processing and efficiency of funds for all accounting functions, internal control over financial & accounting transactions, analysis & reporting Bloomberg senior accounting leadership.

Responsibilities: Processing of transactions relating to selected treasury/cash related functions and region-specific regulatory and statutory requirements for Latin America; Processing of cash flows and funding request; To support peers on bank issues; To verify the foreign rules before export or import goods on the Latin America region and to control the import/export process. Knowledge in Incoterms is a plus; To keep track of the changes at each country in the Region related to the legal procedures at Customs; To close the FX contracts for Latin Americas branches, experience in exchange is a plus; To control and storage accounting, financial and statutory documents; To control and to register all fixed assets and promotional items purchased for the region; To coordinate the print process of Nota Fiscal for all branches in Brazil; To prepare the resale, donation and scrapping spreadsheets to analyze the values to proceed or not with the process; To attend government inspections, internal or external audits and to check all government statements and escalate if necessary; Development, maintenance, and review of the internal control framework governing all financial operations within the region.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting; Professional Accounting designation (e.g. CPA, chartered accountant); Demonstrated experience in process refinement/improvement to achievement goals/metrics; Prior accounting related roles with dotted line responsibilities to sales organizations and/or customer service related targets; Proficiency in Accounting systems or enterprise-wide software applications; SAP a plus; Proficiency in Spanish is an advantage.

See the entire description over at the GC Career Center and visit the main page for all your job search needs.