Now that, of course, is not clear cut proof that accountancy firms fail to take the issue seriously. Most are, of course, much bigger organisations than their legal counterparts and most have well-resource HR operations. Or more simply they might just not have been impressed with what this particular consultant had to offer.

I hope those are the reasons and a reluctance to engage was not borne of an ivory tower belief that everything is alright when it comes to diversity.

Firms - at the top at least - are still too white and too male. They may be changing but the pace of change is slow.

Women account for 23% of the ICAEW's membership for instance. Yet less than 10% of partners at firms ranked in Accountancy Age's 2007 Top 50 are women. Four have no female partners at all.

At the firms that provided information on ethnicity (only 40% did so)  less than 6% were drawn from ethnic minorities.

Outside consultancy may not be the answer but I hope this year's Top 50 shows firms are heading in the right direction.