Life at PKF

A focus on cultural inclusion

Tell us about yourself briefly

My name is Taku and I’m a Lead Assistant Manager in PKF’s Business Services team in London. I’m part of a team responsible for auditing private and listed businesses across a range of sectors including technology, retail and manufacturing, and have a portfolio of companies that I work with.

Outside of work, I enjoy photography, walks in the park and singing.  I sang at my wedding and have even been featured on a well-known streaming platform!

I was born and raised in Zimbabwe. I was brought up in a Christian home that embraced the Shona culture, which places a strong emphasis on family, empathy and humility, and encourages everyone to consider our purpose as a people.  These are all values that I continue to try to live by, despite the fact that I’m now based several thousand miles away from my family home!

How did you end up at PKF in London?

I studied accountancy at Rhodes University in South Africa and was working as an accountant there when I was approached about the role at PKF in London. It was too good an opportunity to pass up and I moved here with my husband in January 2021.

What makes it more than just a job to you?

For me, it’s all about the people I work with. Although we have an agile working model that enables us to work remotely for part of the week, I find myself regularly coming into the London office because I enjoy spending time with everyone. There’s a strong people focus here and that comes across in everything that we do, from the close-knit teams that we have on assignments, to the social and wellbeing activities we organise, to how we treat one another and our clients each day.  It doesn’t feel like a job in the traditional sense!

How do you feel inclusion and respect for different ethnicities and cultures is brought to life at PKF?

Inclusion and respect are just part of life here.  It all starts with understanding other people. We’re very good at giving everyone the chance to learn more about the different cultures here. I’ve been able to share my Shona background through activities like our Tuesday Talks at 12.30 (a fortnightly all-staff Zoom call), our Food Festivals (where we’re able to sample food from different countries) and our celebration of events like Black History Month. We’ve created an atmosphere where people feel comfortable sharing stories about their cultures, and colleagues take a genuine interest in learning about them – particularly when it comes to different cuisines!

How did you support PKF in celebrating Black History Month 2022?

Our Black History Month celebrations are one of the highlights of my time here.  I volunteered to demonstrate to everyone in the firm how to cook a traditional sadza dish and then arranged for my colleagues to sample a wide of different foods from southern Africa.

What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?

For me, inclusion is all about encouraging different viewpoints and starting conversations. It’s also about creating an environment where different influences, ideas and stories are freely shared and respected. We’re very good at that here.