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Grant Thornton announces WGEA gender pay gap results and 2026 International Women in Business Report

03 Mar 2026 7 min read

Grant Thornton Australia has again achieved industry leading results for a third consecutive year, for the majority of its organisation in the recently released 2024-2025 annual company reported gender pay gap information published by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency1 (WGEA).

Industry‑leading gender pay gap outcomes

In the WGEA annual company reported gender pay gaps, Grant Thornton showed an average total remuneration gender pay gap of -4.2 per cent, and a median of -8.6 per cent1. Meaning in the last reporting period, at a firm level, average total pay for women was slightly higher than average total pay for men, a result of a larger proportion of manager roles being held by women.2.  

The WGEA professional services industry benchmark average gender pay gap for 2024–25 was 15.1 per cent, with a median of 16.7 per cent, placing Grant Thornton ahead of its peers. 

Leadership accountability drives sustained progress

Holly Stiles, Partner, Head of Financial Advisory in Sydney and Executive Sponsor of the Gender Equity Network at Grant Thornton said: 

“I'm really proud to be part of an organisation that truly values diversity and inclusion and has very progressive policies such as the 9-Day fortnight. Our people‑led Gender Equity Network plays a critical role in driving meaningful cultural change across the firm. In addition, our broader Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy gives us a clear line of sight on where we’re heading and what we need to do next. We track it, we report on it, and we hold ourselves accountable because that’s how real change sticks.

“This isn’t about one initiative or one policy. It’s a whole‑of‑firm approach from how we recruit and promote, to the flexibility we offer, and the way our leaders show up. It all comes together to create an environment where our people can genuinely thrive. We also know the work is never ‘done’. External benchmarking matters, but so does being honest with ourselves year-on-year about what’s working and what needs to lift. As leaders, we set the tone through the decisions we make, the behaviours we reward, and the culture we build every day.”

Mid‑market commitment remains strong despite global uncertainty

Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March, Grant Thornton International released its 2026 Women in Business Report today, which highlights the strong commercial case for gender equality and continued momentum across the mid‑market. Mid-market firms understand the value that gender diversity brings and are embedding gender equality into core business strategies with increases across pay equity, recruitment and selection, and senior leadership roles. Grant Thornton International’s 2026 Women in Business Report found: 

  • Despite global headwinds, 92.7 per cent of mid-market firms have Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives in place and 75.8 per cent say they are committed to their gender equality initiatives.
  • 73 per cent of businesses who are committed to new gender equality measures grew their revenue by more than 5 per cent. 
  • More mid-market businesses report having gender equality strategies in place on measures including:
    • 42.2 per cent now have a gender equality strategy on employee pay (up 2.9pp)
    • Recruitment gender equality strategy and selection increased to 41.1 per cent (up 2.0pp) 
    • Senior management positions held by women increased to 40.9 per cent (up 3.2pp) 
  • The research showed an increase in female leaders across a variety of C-suite roles: 
    • 23.8 per cent of global CEO roles are now held by women, a 2.1pp increase from 2025 – this progress is encouraging as it could signify a catalyst for change
    • The senior management role held by the highest percentage of women is Human Resources Officer (HRO) at 43 per cent
    • Women hold 39 per cent of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) roles
    • 29.7 per cent of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) roles are held by women 
Download the full report here
Report

Download the full report here

Learn more about Grant Thornton International’s 2026 Women in Business Report here.

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Footnotes:

1. Grant Thornton’s WGEA data is based on submissions for two entities – one for Grant Thornton Australia Limited and one for Grant Thornton National Partnership. Grant Thornton Australia encompasses the majority of its workforce but excludes Directors, Principals and Partners. 

2. WGEA considers gender pay gaps within and including –5% and +5% as an optimal target range. This range allows for normal fluctuations in the workforce. 

3. Industry benchmark figures are based on those provided by WGEA in November 2025. Each ABN received a different comparison group in the Industry Benchmark Report due to the different number of employees and availability of suitable comparison ABNs within the benchmark group. 

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