KPMG UK launches GROW to help managers break progression barriers

KPMG UK is using its six-month GROW programme to help manager and senior manager colleagues move past the stage where professional-services careers often slow down. The programme is aimed at diverse talent, including women, ethnic minority colleagues, LGBT colleagues, disabled colleagues and colleagues from a lower socio-economic background, and it centers on personal brand, stakeholder management and strategies for success in complex environments.

The structure is practical rather than classroom-heavy. KPMG says GROW combines facilitated workshops, group coaching, action-learning sessions and peer networking, a mix that points to the kind of day-to-day skills that matter when employees are trying to build visibility inside a large partnership. For professionals who have already proved they can deliver in busy season, the next step is usually less about technical competence and more about being seen as ready to lead larger teams, client relationships and internal priorities.

That progression problem sits inside a wider workforce picture. In January 2024, KPMG UK said it had 17,239 employees and 833 equity and salaried partners. It also said 49% of colleagues were female, 32% were from an ethnic minority background, 7% were Black Heritage, 7% had a disability or long-term condition and 20% were from a lower socio-economic background. The firm says its inclusion, diversity and equity plan includes long-term aspirational targets to 2030, with better representation needed at senior levels.

The promotion pipeline shows why that matters. In the year to 30 September 2023, KPMG UK said it promoted 1,945 employees, hired 2,573 new people and welcomed around 1,400 graduates and apprentices, while UK headcount rose 12%. In November 2023, the firm announced more than 1,000 promotions, including 56 new partners and 116 directors. Of 98 partner promotions and hires that year, 33% were women, 11% were from an ethnic minority background and 18% were from a low socio-economic background.

KPMG has also tied the programme to its wider learning offer, saying development support runs from Manager through Senior Manager, Director and Partner. Its awards page says the firm won Progression Programme of the Year at the UK Social Mobility Awards in 2024 and ranked 22nd in the 2024 Stonewall Top 100 Employers list. Together, those numbers and recognitions frame GROW as part of the firm’s effort to keep mid-ranking talent moving toward the top of the house.