If you qualified as a chartered accountant 25 or so years ago, you might well have had a couple of career routes in mind. You could stay in practice and work up to being a partner. Or you could go into business and work towards a finance director or maybe CEO role.

But is that what younger accountants are aspiring to and if not, what does it mean for the succession plan for practices? Anecdotally, albeit a matter for debate, younger professionals are not looking to become partners – instead of seeing it as a prize for working hard in their earlier career, they see partners working long hours, always ‘on call’, feeling constant stress and pressure to perform.

Younger professionals are often looking for more balance in their lives. They want an ability to work and contribute at a high level in their chosen role, but time for family, leisure pursuits, charitable and social activities – regardless of gender.