Ten years ago few people outside of the most polluting companies in industries such as oil and gas and mining would have heard of corporate social responsibility. Even five years ago management mostly considered CSR to refer solely to issues such as charity-giving or paid volunteer days for staff.

Today, however, things have moved on. It is one of the fastest growing service lines with innovation at its heart. It encompasses everything from a business’ carbon footprint and staff retention to ethics and sustainability.

Perhaps more importantly for young accountants looking for their next career move, most of the people involved in CSR at accountancy firms are passionate and dedicated to the ideal - it’s the one thing you really need to work in CSR.

‘CSR is a very exciting place to be. It’s so broad in terms of its remit. It could focus on social, community, supply chain or environmental issues.

‘It’s not prescriptive or boring either and you can’t buy it off the shelf; it’s unique to every company,’ says Nigel Smith, manager in the sustainability advisory practice at KPMG.

Given the nature of the nascent service line, you will often find that you get more responsibility earlier on than you would in an established line of business. However getting your foot in the door won’t necessarily come easy.

‘For a long time I gained responsibility quicker than if I had worked in the audit practice.

Solutions in audit are well-defined but here in CSR it’s such a new area, so we are looking at how to approach things for the first time in many cases,’ says Meera Pau, who works in the sustainability practice at PricewatehouseCoopers.

CSR practices have become so popular among young accountants that there’s huge demand to join. You have to prove your credentials and show you have a flare to work in this industry.

‘It’s quite hard to get into without any background at all. Within KPMG there’s a lot of demand and interest from young accountants,’ says Nigel.

Nigel recommends mapping out a strategy if you’re really interested in pursuing a career in CSR. For example if you currently work in the audit practice, look at innovative ways of combining CSR into the audit work you do.

‘You have to be proactive, it’s a very competitive marketplace so if you can show within your current role how to deliver CSR activities then you’re more likely to succeed,’ says Nigel.

Meera took this route at PwC. On qualifying she went on a secondment to the firm’s sustainability business team where she worked on audits of CSR reports. After six months she transferred across to the team full-time - that was four years ago.

‘I’m really passionate about what I do and everyone I work with is too. I feel really lucky to have found a job in which I can use my business and accountancy skills as well as what I have learnt in sustainability. That’s fantastic,’ says Meera.

On the downside because of its immaturity as a industry, if you were to take time out for whatever reason it’s likely you would fall behind quickly and struggle to catch up. And if you are highly passionate about your job then another disadvantage could be found in the fact that many companies are still not taking CSR seriously.

‘There’s a real commercial benefit for having a tight CSR policy, but some companies are still only paying lip service,’ adds Nigel.

PwC and CSR

• Over 12 months PwC has doubled its Sustainability and Climate Change practice to over 100 people, including five partners.
• The firm has notched up a 15-year track record of advising clients on sustainability and corporate responsibility issues across its assurance, tax and advisory practices.
• Over 200 partners and directors have completed a three-day programme examining issues of sustainability and climate change and the potential impact on both PwC and the firm’s clients.
• Globally, its sustainability network is over 500.
• Sam Di Piazza (International CEO of PwC) is the chair of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development