Top 100 firm Armanino has announced the launch of its Executive Access Program, which will connect its top female managers with executive committee members to help foster professional relationships and aid more women on the path to partnership.
The firm also announced a Transparency to Partnership educational track, which will provide helpful information on how staff members can reach the partnership level. Both initiatives were created by Armanino’s Woman’s Advancement Network, which seeks to lessen the gender gap in leadership positions within the firm.
“Armanino is committed to not only meeting but exceeding the industry average of female partners,” stated Andy Armanino, the firm's managing partner. “In the past three years, 29 percent of internal partner promotions were women, a trend we would like to see increase in the future.”
An internal survey, conducted by the Accounting & Financial Women's Alliance and its Accounting MOVE Project, found that women were opting out of the partner track at twice the rate of men inside Armanino. The report concluded that executive sponsorship was a vital step in reaching partnership.
The Executive Access Program will give top female staff members earlier access to firm executives in order to make the path to partnership more attainable and clear. Armanino recently named 18 women to the program's inaugural class, who will regularly meet with sponsors to plan out their career goals and track their progress.
“The Executive Access Program filled up quickly and we expect to see more women taking advantage of this opportunity in the future,” said WAN board co-chair and Armanino partner Min Riblett in a statement.
The firm also had its Learning and Development team create new training modules on a slew of partnership topics, including qualifications, benefits and expectations, which are available to all staff members.
For more on Armanino, head to the firm's
