Let your skills do the talking: Nikki Davies on the art of confidence

Nikki Davies, KPMG UK’s Head of Private Enterprise (KPE) Audit for the West Midlands, has spent more than two decades supporting clients in auditing, finances and accounting.

She shares her inspirations, how she balances family life, and how gender equality in business has come a long way—but there’s still more to do.

What inspired your career or business journey?

I was lucky to have some amazing mentors at university, who encouraged me to apply for the ACA qualification – and this set me on the path to KPMG.

I can still remember the interview process and being hugely inspired by the firm and its offering – even though I didn’t really know what audit was!

Fast forward 22 years and I’m still at KPMG, in a leadership role that allows me to work with a wide range of clients and a great bunch of people.

On a personal level, my inspiration is undoubtedly my two daughters.

As the first person in my family to work in the corporate world, I want them to see that it is possible to be successful as a woman in business and have a family.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a woman in business and how did you overcome it?

I’ve learnt to be confident in my own style and try not to conform to other people’s ideals.

With time, you realise that you don’t need to be the most gregarious person in the room – which are all too often male-dominated – but let your own skills and experience shine through.

It’s about making your mark in a quietly effective way.

Like so many women, I’ve also learnt to juggle the demands of family life with a career. It can be tricky to strike the right balance at times, but it’s important to be open and transparent with colleagues and clients alike.

What’s one key piece of advice for women looking to succeed in your industry?

You don’t need to change yourself to fit the mould and don’t be afraid to do things your way. You’ve got offered the role for a reason – this means you’re good at it!

How has gender equality in business changed and what still needs to improve?

Gender equality in business has certainly improved over the last two decades.

For example, at KPMG, more than a third of our senior team in the West Midlands are female.

But I still often find myself in the minority in board rooms.

Women typically shoulder most childcare responsibility, and this can be difficult when nursery and school hours don’t fit with the working day.

Hybrid working has certainly helped, but as we continue to move forward in the post-Covid world, we can’t forget that this has been incremental in helping women to thrive in business.

How has being part of GBCC supported your business or career?

As well as our GBCC membership, we also have several Future Faces memberships for KPMG’s up-and-coming colleagues.

This is a fantastic opportunity for them to network in the local business community and nurture professional relationships that will hopefully last their careers.

This year’s IWD theme is Accelerate Action. Given that gender parity may take until 2158 what does IWD mean to you, and how can we drive faster change?

It’s sobering that the expectation is this won’t get to parity even in my daughters’ lifetimes.

We absolutely need more role models to inspire women to thrive in their respective professions and demonstrate that it is possible to succeed both personally and professionally.

IWD is a great platform for women to share their success stories - and with better childcare equality and better support for hybrid working – women have the power to achieve anything.