Own the impact: a conversation on gender equity and inclusive leadership

An interview of Hervé Hélias, Chairman, and Pascal Jauffret, CEO, led by Sarah Plate, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager, Forvis Mazars Group.  

On International Women’s Day (IWD), we reflect on the progress we’re making toward gender equity, the work we still have ahead of us and the leadership choices that support our ongoing journey. 

We believe that sharing our reflections today is important, as in 2026, globally businesses are navigating a complex environment when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), with a shift toward quieter, less visible efforts as legal, geopolitical and social pressures grow. Despite shifting international dynamics, we reiterate our strong, unified commitment to inclusion and equity across our Group. 

This is why this year for IWD, we have chosen the theme ‘Own the impact’ to highlight our commitment to turning intentions into leadership behaviours, systems and decisions that aim to make inclusion part of everyday life at our firm. Through this conversation, we hope to spark further reflection, offer insights that leaders can apply in their own inclusive leadership efforts and introduce a tool we designed to help facilitate that process.  

Sarah: What has stood out most to you both in the past year in how we are shaping our approach to gender equity and inclusive leadership at Forvis Mazars?  

Pascal: A year ago, we evolved and modernised our governance by separating oversight and execution, and with this achieved gender parity on our Group Executive Committee (GEC), which has been one of the clearest ways we’ve made inclusion a priority at the leadership level. Beyond diversifying our executive team, it has strengthened the quality of discussions, improved the balance of perspectives in decision making and reinforced a shared sense of accountability at the top of the organisation. 

We have also broadened our DEI focus toward creating more inclusive, supportive workplaces, using new indicators and locally tailored strategies, enabling us to see a clear shift in how consistently commitments are translated into practice. Key performance indicators on our Group DEI dashboard – including representation of women in leadership, completion of unconscious bias training and progress on the gender pay gap – help ensure these commitments are tracked and acted upon.  

Building on the foundations already in place, the GEC has strengthened its role in advancing gender equity across the firm, working closely with our Group DEI team, DEI council and regional HR coordinators to oversee policies, targets and progress in the markets where we operate, in particular via targeted country dialogues with our largest member firms. 

Further, to ensure our efforts continue to move in the right direction, we have developed a self-assessment tool for gender equity that helps identify priorities, surface challenges and guide improvement efforts.  

Hervé: In the spirit of transparency and shared learning, we have chosen to make this self-assessment tool publicly available, extending its use beyond our organisation. By doing so, we aim to encourage other leaders to reflect critically on their own DEI strategies, policies and growth.  

In practice, in the past year, this tool has helped us advance our core DEI materials, including our Group DEI strategy and antidiscrimination policy. It’s inspired us to roll out inclusive language checklists and flexible working charters to support our member firms across geographies in embedding diversity, equity and inclusion in daily practice. Alongside this cultural work, we continue to monitor our DEI dashboard and establish quantifiable objectives to ensure fairness and consistency across the employee experience, including equal pay for equal work, equal leave for first caregivers and gender equity in talent management. We know we still have progress to make, and we have set ourselves the objectives by 2029 of having 40% of women within our senior leadership teams and 30% within our international partnership. Currently, we sit at 28% and 24% respectively.  

Combined, all these efforts have helped strengthen our strategy and create the right conditions for the next phases of inclusive leadership.  

Sarah: As we move into those next phases, where do you think our main priorities lie?  

Hervé: Looking at where we are today, one of our main priorities is to continue to embed DEI into everyday experiences: from how leaders show up, to how teams collaborate, as well as how individuals are heard, respected and supported. Each year, we expand the scope of our Global people survey and track progress on the DEI dashboard, comparing firm-wide trends year-on-year and identifying country-specific challenges. In particular, our psychological safety score is a core metric we monitor and pay close attention to. The results of the survey inform locally embedded DEI measures, ensuring engagement, wellbeing and inclusion are standards that all leaders are accountable for delivering.  

Pascal: Another key priority is the development of our Group pay equity and transparency solution. It provides HR, Talent, Payroll, Legal, DEI, and leadership teams with actionable insights and budget guidance to systematically identify and address gender pay disparities. As of February 2026, 28 countries, representing 51% of our global headcount, have committed to participation. We will continue to onboard further member firms in the next waves of the programme.   

Sarah: To close this interview, would you both have a personal reflection to share on the topic? 

Pascal: We’ve highlighted some of our core programmes and how we’re building leadership capability, but lasting cultural change stems from leaders’ daily actions. Progress requires self-reflection – challenging assumptions, setting clear expectations and integrating equity into leadership conversations. True change starts when leaders take responsibility, honestly assess their current state, listen to lived experiences and use data to guide decisions. Accountability is practical: it’s seen in leaders’ priorities, questions and follow-through. 

Hervé: That’s right. Over the decades, we’ve asked ourselves tough questions, knowing it comes down to leaders’ day-to-day choices: who we sponsor, whose voices we amplify, the behaviours we model and how we address bias. Structured reflection, followed by action, bridges the gap between values and practice. 

There’s also a lot of value in collective reflection, which is why we created our DEI dialogues, held at both the regional and country level. These forums allow leaders across the firm to share best practices, explore questions they might not have considered and turn learning into measurable strategies. Progress lasts only when equity is built into systems. Inclusion needs leadership ownership, consistency and shared learning; not goodwill alone. 

Each of us as business leaders have a responsibility to own the impact, and on this International Women’s Day, we recommit to that responsibility – for our teams, our firm and the clients and communities we serve.