SBI Shinsei Bank Group has organized the Group Diversity & Inclusion Committee (hereinafter referred to as "the Group D&I Committee"), which is comprised of executives from each Group company, and is working to maximize the Group's human capital with a focus on promoting diversity.

The committee meets once a month to discuss, share, and review D&I-related challenges and the implementation of measures, leading to effective D&I activities in the group.

The Group D&I Committee meeting in July was held to coincide with the visit of Heather Elliott, General Manager, Human Resources of UDC Finance (hereinafter referred to as "UDC"), the largest non-bank in New Zealand and subsidiary of SBI Shinsei Bank Group, to Japan.

New Zealand was the first country in the world to recognize women's suffrage, and it is one of the countries where women are empowered. Many companies in New Zealand value multiculturalism. At UDC, about half of the employees, and 44% of leaders in the organization are women. It also has members from more than 15 countries around the world with different cultural backgrounds and are working on a variety of initiatives to promote D&I and improve employee engagement.

UDC's offices are an open-plan work environment known as "hot desking" in New Zealand, where everyone, including leadership team members, can sit and work wherever they want, making it easy to communicate openly regardless of the position. (the system called "Free address system" in Japan)

They have also set up a chat line so that employees can actively communicate throughout the company, and a physical space called “huis” – means “gathering” in the language of the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, where employees can interact with each other.

In addition, while taking great care to prevent bias in the workplace, they are also working to ensure that employees with diverse backgrounds continue to fulfil their roles and consistently perform well.

For example, in order to eliminate gender bias in hiring process, they have a policy in place to ensure that female are included both in candidates and interviewers. And the remuneration at the time of hiring is determined without disclosing gender or name, by comparing the role and experience of the applicant with market data both internally and externally.

In order to foster a corporate culture of women's empowerment, SBI Shinsei Bank Group conducts various initiatives to coincide with International Women's Day on March 8 every year. UDC also holds various events every year, including a panel discussion for all employees however the focus is women and their progress and career development. These initiatives are not limited to UDC, but across New Zealand. They invite female employees working in the automotive industry, which has a high proportion of male employees, to different events to talk with each other. They are promoting D&I to improve women's empowerment and reduce bias to other companies.

To assist with D&I , employees can combine coming to the office and working from home to ensure a work-life balance, and adjust their office hours. Theyare working to enhance maternity leave system, childcare, and support when a family member becomes ill so that employees want to continue working at UDC.
The accumulation of these various initiatives has led to increasing employee engagement.

At UDC, they believe that improving employee engagement is essential to the success of their business, and that continuous efforts are important to improve it. Based on the results of employee interviews and engagement surveys, they repeatedly identify and improve organizational issues, and are working to maintain a high level of engagement.

New Zealand is one of the countries where women are empowered, and efforts are still being made to promote D&I and eliminate bias and prejudice.
Although the premise is different, SBI Shinsei Bank Group companies in Japan have also improved the environment in the similar way as UDC, such as the introduction of a free-address system, diverse work styles, support for childcare and nursing care, and women's empowerment.
It was a fruitful exchange of information on how to improve employee engagement so that each and every one of our diverse employees can maximize their abilities.

In order for diverse employees to feel a sense of fulfilment and continue to play an active role, we will continue to foster a corporate culture and address issues.

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