The firm’s new cross company Chinese talent development platform aims to combine online and classroom learning with networking and coaching to improve the Chinese talent pipeline and break the ‘bamboo ceiling’.

The initiative brings together existing programmes that also focus on improving the number of Chinese individuals in high-ranking positions including: the Diaspora Foundation, WoMentor, LSE’s Confucius Institute for Business London and SinoPro who are the founder of Chinese business leaders awards, at which the new initiative was announced.

Suwei Jiang, lead partner of PwC UK’s China business group, said: ‘The Confucian values and ideals that individuals of Chinese heritage are raised to observe and respect often don’t conform to the demands and pressures of the British workplace, hindering development and career progression. 

‘There is a deep rooted culture of respect in China and many children are brought up not to challenge people more senior to them both by age and by authority. But in UK culture, this is often seen as a lack of confidence or assertiveness.

‘We want to provide holistic and culturally relevant support to improve Chinese representation at the top of businesses and create culturally dexterous leaders.’

PwC UK’s China business group has been established for over 10 years and there are around 750 Chinese speakers in the UK firm.

Report by Pat Sweet