Motherhood is a key driver behind the lack of women in top roles in financial services, according to research commissioned by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), which says more evidence of ‘what works’ is needed to tackle the disparity

The Treasury has launched a review into barriers for women in business after research found that they are half as likely as men to be involved in starting a business, and only a third of entrepreneurs are female

This week's news of professional moves in the sector includes a head of tax at Armstrong Watson, 11 trainees join MHA Carpenter Box’s audit and business services teams, restructuring firm CVR Global appoints an associate director

Deloitte has reported an 11.3% rise in global revenues, which hit $43.2bn (£323.7bn) for the fiscal year ended 31 May 2018, making the firm the current leader of the Big Four worldwide

Nick Lodge, director general of HMRC’s strategy group, has taken up a new position with the Bank of England, after a 28-year career with the tax authority

Andersen Global, the international association of tax specialist firms set up by former Arthur Andersen staffers, has announced a new board of directors for Europe, including the heads of its London and Dublin representative firms

The way the UK’s largest companies report on boardroom diversity needs improvement, according to research conducted for the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), which found that only 15% of FTSE 100 companies fully complied with the UK corporate governance code’s provision in this area

EY has launched a financial wellness hub for its staff in the UK, with the aim of helping them to manage their personal finances and improve their financial wellbeing

This week's news of professional moves in the sector includes a private markets tax partner appointment at Deloitte, RSM gains a financial services risk assurance partner in its London office, Larking Gowen appoints a head of personal tax

Private equity firm HgCapital have invested an undisclosed sum in BrightPay, the Irish accounting and payroll software provider, ahead of government PAYE reform which will see Ireland move to real time reporting

Deloitte has published its 2018 gender pay gap data which shows that while its earnings gap is shrinking, the firm’s bonus gap has increased

A third of directors at UK SMEs are female - a higher percentage than in the FTST 100 - according to analysis by Moore Stephens, which says this is a sign that entrepreneurship amongst women continues to grow

In the latest accountancy careers news, Bishop Fleming appoints four managers across its tax and audit teams, new head of public sector health at PwC, RSM gains two partners in its Birmingham office

The number of financial and professional services jobs has held steady over the last five years although a Brexit ‘no deal’ could result in job losses, according to analysis from UHY Hacker Young

HMRC’s 13 regional centre locations were chosen using employees’ residential postcodes rather than on the basis of where they worked, the tax authority’s chief executive told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), with redundancies already exceeding the 10% previously estimated