Melanie works with KPMG’s Chairman and Board to set the firm’s strategic direction and determine major policy positions.  Melanie is a Partner in the Debt Advisory practice and has more than 30 years of experience in Financial Services, with expertise in banking, lending and debt restructuring. She is KPMG’s senior sponsor for inclusion and diversity, and leads the firm’s external Senior Business Women’s Network. Under Melanie’s direction, KPMG published a detailed diversity profile of its workforce, looking at under-represented groups throughout the organisation. This move was an industry first and demonstrated the importance of this issue both to colleagues and to the wider market. Melanie has been instrumental in establishing KPMG’s Inclusive Leadership Board and invited three leading diversity experts, Tanni Grey-Thompson, John Amaechi and Nicolas Miller, to join. She has championed KPMG’s ‘Return to Work’ programme, designed for women who have taken a career break of 18 months or more, and sponsors ‘GROW’ – KPMG’s leadership development programme, designed to advance minority groups to senior positions. She has personally supported, mentored and coached women within and outside the firm. Melanie is one of the founding members of the 30% Club Steering Committee, and has facilitated a variety of research projects into women’s experience in the workplace. She sits on the steering group of the Hampton-Alexander Review, which aims to increase the number of women in senior positions in FTSE 350 companies and is joint Vice-Chair of The Eve Appeal and a member of the Harvard Women’s Leadership Board. In June 2016, Oxford Brookes University awarded Melanie an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration for her achievements in business and her promotion of gender equality.