The Pinnacle Foundation has welcomed professional services company, Accenture Australia as a Gold partner and donor of The Accenture Scholarship that will be awarded to young LGBTIQ+ Australians studying in commercial disciplines.

Accenture has entered the Gold Partnership and endowed The Accenture Scholarship for the next three years as part of its ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion and creating an environment where people are free to express their identity.

Accenture’s recent Getting to Equal: 2020 Pride research report shows that 64 per cent of Australian LGBTIQ+ employees believe their gender identity/expression, or their sexual orientation has slowed their progress at work. The study also found that nearly one in five (19 per cent) remain totally closeted in the workplace.

Both Accenture and The Pinnacle Foundation share a common goal of giving young LGBTIQ+ Australians access to education and opportunities that will positively influence the trajectory of their lives and ultimately create more diverse workplaces and a more inclusive society with LGBTIQ+ role models.

CEO & Managing Director of The Pinnacle Foundation, Andrew Staite, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Accenture Australia to the ‘Pinnacle family’. Accenture is a demonstrated ally of our LGBTIQ+ community and an industry leader in promoting diversity and inclusion. The Accenture Scholarship will go a long way in transforming the lives of young LGBTIQ+ Australians and raising awareness of the challenges many within the community still face because of their identity.”

The Pinnacle Foundation not only provides educational scholarships; the program also includes a unique mentoring component which carefully matches each scholar with a mentor who will typically share the same academic and professional interests, gender identity and sexual orientation. The mentor acts as a role model.

They will have trod the scholar’s path – and provide the encouragement, counsel and inspiration to support the scholar’s rounded development and the successful completion of their studies.

The Accenture Scholarship recipient will also benefit from this powerful combination of support that has seen almost 90 per cent of Pinnacle scholars achieve their academic goals.