BDO USA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Transparency Report

Together, We Thrive.

The release of BDO’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Transparency Report is a critical step in our ongoing journey of fulfilling our core purpose of helping people thrive every day – a journey we take for our professionals, for our clients and for the communities where we live and work.

By releasing this report and providing transparency into our DEI strategies, workforce demographics, recruiting and retention efforts, and areas of external engagement, we are holding ourselves accountable to taking the steps we know are essential to continue to strengthen our culture, empower our people and drive positive change.

A Message from our Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

"The firm has long been on a journey to become a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization, and we are actively investing our time and resources to move this journey forward one conversation, one individual at a time. This work isn’t about getting to a destination – it’s about always progressing, always learning and always caring for others.” 

– Bernie Pieters, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer and People and Culture Principal

Accountability Starts at the Top

BDO believes that grassroots initiatives and action on DEI must be met with executive leadership and support. We use firmwide programs to create forums for one-on-one conversations and personal opportunities for learning and growth, which allow our approach to DEI to constantly evolve to meet the dynamic conversations that must happen on all aspects of diversity within our organization.

At BDO, we know that organizations equipped with a range of voices and perspectives lead to better business; faster innovation, smarter risk-taking, deeper resilience, increased ability to transform challenges into opportunities and more. We’ve witnessed first-hand the benefits of advancing DEI through our work and are working diligently to continue prioritizing progress around DEI across all levels of the firm.
Wayne Berson, Chief Executive Officer and Cathy Moy, Chief People Officer

Caring: Foundations to Our Success


Our Core Purpose

At BDO, everything we do is rooted in our core purpose, helping people thrive every day. To support our core purpose and center our culture, we have established a set of core values to define how we work together and how we serve our clients.

Together, our core purpose and core values guide our approach to DEI as well as everything we do. They are the foundation of the firm’s strategic plan for creating a sustainable and successful business and set up a framework that allows us to be a stakeholder-based, inclusive and purpose-driven. In this people-first culture, everyone benefits when all members of our team are empowered to bring their unique skillsets, perspectives and strengths to their work. 


BDO Diversity Image

Collaborating for Success

We’re proud to belong to a community striving to create more opportunities for people of all backgrounds to bring their talent, passion and perspective to the accounting and professional services industry, and the broader business community. There is power in collaboration, and when we work together there are no limits to the positive impact we can make. 

At BDO, this collaboration takes shape in many different ways. We engage with organizations such as the National Association of Black Accountants, Association of Latino Professionals for America and Ascend to recruit talented individuals to the firm as well as provide education and development opportunities to our current professionals. We also join like-minded organizations that are committed to advancing DEI, such as CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Audit Quality, to band together to ignite change across our industry and beyond.  

Looking Back to Look Ahead

BDO has long been building a world-class, purpose-centered environment where people feel empowered to do their best work and be their best selves; an important part of that journey is the continual progress we’ve made on DEI priorities.

As we reflected on the past and sought to better understand what our people need to thrive, we realized that we could, and needed, to do more. We started with listening – creating discussion forums, focus groups and opportunities for candid conversations with nearly 4,000 of our people. This intentional connection paired with an extensive DEI review helped us to better understand our current strengths and areas for improvement.

Our Path Forward

Over the last year and a half, we’ve reexamined our DEI efforts from a place of empathy, humility and hope, and have learned many important lessons along the way. BDO’s path forward will consider these strategies:


Learn More About Our DEI Journey

The steps we take on our DEI journey are certain to evolve, but they will always be inspired by our commitment to meeting people where they are in their personal journeys and informed by what we learn by genuinely listening to one another. We look forward to continuing to learn along the way, knowing that our work will never truly be done. We also believe that by working together, our potential and opportunity to make a difference for one another and create change in our world has no limits.