Agnes Koops-Aukes, CEO of PwC, in a conversation with Motopp about the importance of diversity and inclusion – and Motopp – in the workplace.

PwC and Motopp entered into a strategic partnership on inclusion and diversity in the third quarter of 2023. Together, the organisations are utilising the potential of highly motivated, highly educated and talented newcomers.

“With the right motivation and opportunities, you can have a great career. I once started at PwC thinking: I can see and learn a lot there. Step by step, I developed myself and picked up more tasks. As the daughter of entrepreneurs, I always see work and know how to tackle it. On my way to this position, I was given many opportunities. I grant that to everyone,” shares Agnes.

Our four Motoppers make the difference

“As CEO, I want to make PwC, and therefore the world, better. Partly by standing for inclusion and diversity. I want to remove barriers in this. The workplace is ideally a reflection of society anyway. It doesn’t matter who you are, what your background is or where you come from: it’s about your talent, commitment, creativity, motivation, your impact. We want to do good as an organisation, but we also get a lot of good in return. I think of our four Motoppers. They make a difference together with us.”

To advance in your career you have to show courage

“One day at PwC, I was asked: would you like to become a partner of Motopp, because I think you are suited for it? I was surprised, but went for it. Making a career is also about showing guts. Raising your finger, connecting with people who dare to raise the bar for you, who support you: you can do it. This automatically makes you think: yes, maybe I can do it too. It is a cliché, but always remain yourself. That is your strength. I think I have always just stayed Agnes.”

Impact

And that Agnes wants to be meaningful, to have an impact, to contribute to a better world. “Of course through clients. We visit many companies and set things in motion there, for example when it comes to the ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) criteria, the sustainable and social impact of organisations. We also make the world a better place through our employees. I sometimes say to colleagues: I have seen you grow up. You started here at 22, young and inexperienced, and look where you are now. That is also a contribution to society, that we let people grow with our knowledge, experience and opportunities.”

Equal opportunities for everybody

“I am well aware that we have a privileged position at PwC. I want to give that privilege back to society. I am extremely motivated when it comes to a diverse and inclusive work culture, equal opportunities for all. As a woman, I have had the opportunity to develop myself towards this position, but for many it is still not obvious. We too have only 20% female partners. But change takes time. “It was only 54 years ago that my mother was told at work: Friday is your last day. Just because she was getting married. How special was that.”

“I want to remove barriers: after all, the workplace should ideally reflect society.“

The future demands change

“If you want culture change, you have to hold on. Have conversations, enter into collaborations, keep scaling up, guard your quality, bring in good people. Motopp helps us do this. We really don’t just choose Motopp because of the social aspect, we benefit from it ourselves. Working with Motopp is much more than just CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Motoppers provide our organisation with new knowledge, experiences and insights. That is valuable if you want to keep innovating.
We are facing a multitude of challenges, particularly in the realms of ESG and emerging technologies. The future demands change. Nor do we have immediate answers to all questions. The more diverse your organisation, the more answers you get internally, the better you can anticipate the future.”

Everyone can make a difference

“As a partner at PwC, I am dedicated to leaving the organization in a better state than when I began. I encourage employees to share this commitment. Everyone can make a difference.” We do it together. Our people often know a lot about one thing, but issues are not about one thing, they are about the complexity of everything together. In this, we complement each other, strengthen each other and continue to develop. That eagerness is characteristic of our organisation.”

Good onboarding programme

“That is also part of Motopp, getting the best out of yourself. Motoppers come to us well-trained and prepared and ready to go. Motopp and PwC help with that with good guidance, a fine grounding and framed process. We are experienced in onboarding new colleagues. The onboarding programme is well thought out, allowing people to experience peace of mind and develop themselves even faster and better. It remains really exciting to see new people coming in. That is the foundation of our organisation: the diversity of people and stories.”

“At PwC, we are extremely motivated when it comes to a diverse and inclusive work culture, equal opportunities for all.“

Intrinsic motivation

“There are more and more regulations on social return. This is good, because regulations encourage change, it is a motivation to do things differently and better. But the real drive arises from an intrinsic motivation. Giving people equal opportunities is just the right thing to do. In addition, it is an important business motivation. People from different backgrounds bring new knowledge and experience, which is valuable for our customers. From these three drivers – regulation, business and especially our intrinsic motivation – we immediately said ‘yes’ to working with Motopp.”

The right thing to do

“Four Motoppers have started with us now. We are impressed by the strong foundation they bring from the past and the knowledge with which they can answer future issues for us. They are people with a lot of talent, expertise and creativity, who are up and running straight away. They are also very eager, so traction is high. We like that. So yes, working with Motopp is the right thing to do from many perspectives.”

“Motoppers are people with talent, expertise and creativity who are immediately up and running and provide high traction. We love that.”

ABOUT

PricewaterhouseCoopers is the world’s largest organization in the field of professional services, focusing on assurance, tax, and advisory services. With over five thousand employees at PwC Netherlands, they enthusiastically collaborate to address societal issues and develop sustainable solutions. PwC is strongly committed to diversity policies, fostering an inclusive workplace culture where every colleague feels accepted, respected, valued, and engaged. People make the difference, each with their own background and culture. Visit www.pwc.nl.

Motopp believes in a world full of possibilities and equal opportunities, regardless of where you come from. With this mindset, Motopp embarked on a mission in 2020: to offer refugees a career in the Dutch business world. Many refugees have already obtained a bachelor’s or master’s degree in their country of origin, but Motopp further trains them to become IT professionals or finance specialists within the Dutch work culture. This gives newcomers a future perspective. At the same time, Motopp helps to alleviate labor shortages in various sectors and enables organizations with a Motopp participant to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and social return obligations. A triple win! Visit www.motopp.nl