At Nomura Group we believe diversity is not just something that can be represented by numbers and words but exists in a world-class business that is truly inclusive and based on respect for all people. This goes beyond the scope of traditional approaches to diversity and looks to improve business performance by making use of the full potential of all employees. Only this attitude to diversity will create the environment needed to respond successfully to clients' needs. Nomura's diversity and inclusion exists in our daily actions designed to develop creativity and maximize value for employees, clients, shareholders and other stakeholders.
*Diversity and inclusion:
Diversity and inclusion is about respecting human rights and offering equal opportunities within organizations regardless of gender, age, race, faith, or values and harnessing peoples' talent
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Koki Miura |
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Sugio Ito |
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Mariko Yanada |
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Stephen Sidebottom |
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Charlotte Sweeney |
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Tim Wannenmacher |
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Hayden Majajas |
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Stephanie Keay |
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Ito: In previous years diversity at Nomura focused on basic issues such as gender, nationality, and religion. Through the acquisition and integration of the Lehman Brothers employees in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East the very definition of diversity at Nomura has changed. Now we are more aware of other issues including cultural differences. Now more than ever it is important to embrace and engage in diversity and inclusion initiatives, understanding and harnessing the differences among our employees.
Keay: Following the acquisition and the integration of Lehman Brothers I think we are at an exciting point. We are starting with the basics of what diversity is and how we build on that foundation. On top of that the fact that the firm has invested in and committed resources to establishing a diversity and inclusion office within the firm is a clear indication not only internally but also externally of our true commitment to this area.
Wannenmacher: The Asia-Pacific region is a diverse environment. Last year, among 70 staff on my team we had 28 nationalities, men and women, many religious backgrounds and so on, all well represented - our team is very diverse. Moreover, our businesses in the region and our clients are also very diverse. It's an exciting starting point for the business. As the businesses expand and become even broader and more diverse that attracts a variety of people to work with us and work for us.
Wannenmacher: Our diverse environment is reflective of our clients; we deal with clients from different nationalities, we deal with employees from various backgrounds and many different functions. From the business perspective, if you present yourself as a stereotype it will reflect negatively on you.
Sweeney: What is clear to me is that really successful organizations are also very successful at integrating diversity and inclusion into the way they conduct all aspects of their business. This is our focal point in Nomura too. Within EMEA we are focused on developing a very clear diversity and inclusion strategy that is right for the new Nomura and is 'future-proofed' to ensure we are responding to our clients' needs and maintaining a true business focus. Teams that are naturally diverse have many different ways of thinking and can respond to client's needs and requirements much more creatively and innovatively than a homogenous team. Every aspect of diversity helps us understand not only our client's needs but also other business opportunities.
Yanada: Through this dialog I came to notice that diversity exists within our team as well. Our clients demand not only a simple solution but also an integrated solution. Diversity is not limited to human rights issues. Integration of diversity into our business is a reaction to our client's needs. In this sense we can say that diversity itself is our business.
Miura: There has been a structural change in the branch offices in Japan. Some of our specific area staff started working with whole area staff for the first time. Some of our employees for example have been given new opportunities and have found hidden talents within themselves during the process of change in the organization. Throughout this process of internal change we have seen the challenge of diversification, we see that employees working well together are happy, enjoy their careers and that contributes to our client-services and better business performance.
Sweeney: The key points for diversity and inclusion are how we really tap into all the differences of every employee within the business and develop their current level of cultural intelligence. If we develop people who know how to work with others from many different nationalities we will be able to get the best out of our people and enhance collaborative working.
Majajas: Diversity and inclusion is one of the biggest challenges we face - being aware, understanding and appreciating what diversity means. With everything that we are talking about such as our employees, our shareholders, our stakeholders and our clients, the appreciation of diversity really does go hand in hand with being a meritocracy. Which is what we are building. When employees' differences are understood and appreciated by their colleagues, the result is better performance. The employees themselves feel more appreciated and accepted and they feel part of the business. They work hard to achieve results together with their colleagues, they innovate and they are more effective. That is the appreciation of diversity. Our aim is to be the employer and investment advisor of choice for all.
Keay: One of the most challenging issues is to make sure we are not applying the same initiatives everywhere. Diversity
and inclusion initiatives have to be applied locally. It's got to be something that we believe in, candidates believe in, clients believe in. On a more practical level the tactical spark in diversity is in things like this discussion, it is in our discussions about the training being done in Europe and outside of Japan and Asia-Pacific. It's about creating the dialog and having leadership talk about it and getting people to start talking about it.
Once you bring the awareness, you start making changes and see the impact.
Sidebottom: It is about removing barriers for people. It is about being a bias-free organization and making sure that people are able to perform at their best and engage across all regions in the challenges they face. That is the spark of Nomura. Our people need to deliver extraordinary world-class business performance by engaging as world-class people and bringing their extraordinary unique talents together.
