Catalyst Japan Honors Women’s Advancement Initiatives at Deutsche Bank Group Japan, LIXIL Group Corporation, McDonald’s Company (Japan) Ltd., Seiyu GK and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (Media Release)

First-Year Honorees of the “Catalyst Distinction” to be Celebrated for Addressing Japan’s Diversity and Inclusion Challenges

Tokyo, Japan (April 10, 2017)—Catalyst, the leading global nonprofit organization with a mission to accelerate progress for women through workplace inclusion, announced today the recipients of the first Catalyst Distinction, which honors women’s advancement and diversity and inclusion initiatives in Japanese workplaces. This year’s recipients are Deutsche Bank Group Japan, LIXIL Group Corporation, McDonald’s Company (Japan) Ltd., Seiyu GK and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.

Through more than 50 years of global work and its recognition programs including the Catalyst Award, Catalyst Canada Honours, and Practices, Catalyst has identified essential criteria that predict diversity and inclusion progress, such as the importance of changes at the organizational level, employee engagement, and positive impacts achieved by initiatives. Evaluations for the Catalyst Distinction were made based on this expertise and knowledge to spotlight successful initiatives for overcoming challenges specific to Japan.

This year’s Catalyst Distinction-winning initiatives include:

• Deutsche Bank Group Japan
  Deutsche Bank’s initiative is a holistic diversity effort across its Japan offices. To address gender-specific barriers, the program includes a strong recruitment focus to hire more women as well as internal and external learning opportunities for women at the organization. In addition, senior leaders and male champions are involved and speak publicly about the importance of diversity and inclusion.
• LIXIL Group Corporation
  LIXIL’s initiative comprises multiple “action-focused” programs to engage expecting and working mothers, as well as women and men champions. The programs are helping to create more inclusive work environments through high-potential development and work-life effectiveness components.
• McDonald’s Company (Japan) Ltd.  
  McDonald’s initiative drives cultural change and inclusion through senior leadership communications, talent development, and work-style innovation. The initiative features strong engagement from the CEO, senior leadership, JWLN (Japan Women’s Leadership Network), and human resources, which helps create a more positive working environment for both women and men.
• Seiyu GK
  Seiyu’s initiative seeks to address the unique challenges for women in Japan and in retail including managing work-life effectiveness and unconscious bias. The“Women-in-Retail (WIR)” program, which has been tailored to address Japan-specific issues, provides development opportunities and empowers female store managers and others by encouraging discussions on work-life balance and sponsorship with supervisors and senior management in the store operation division.
• Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)
  SMBC’s initiative focuses on increasing women’s representation at the managerial and above level. The program features strong CEO and leadership participation and provides business unit leaders with the tools they need to shape the right diversity strategy for their business units as well as to engage externally with other organizations and clients.

“We are thrilled to recognize successful initiatives promoting women’s advancement and creating more inclusive work environments while addressing Japan-specific workplace barriers,“ said Tsukiko Tsukahara, Vice President, Catalyst Japan. “With the Catalyst Distinction, we hope to provide feasible solutions that other organizations can learn from and apply to help overcome Japan’s current and unique challenges, such as role allocation between men and women and long working hours.”

“The goal of Catalyst Japan is to leverage extensive research and in-depth business practices to drive diversity and inclusion. In our interactions with many organizations in Japan, we are very encouraged by the efforts and commitment to use better tools and advanced thinking to improve women’s participation and advancement. The 2017 Catalyst Distinction winners are great examples of what can be accomplished in Japan, and we warmly congratulate them,” said Gerald Lema, Chair, Catalyst Japan Advisory Board, and member, Catalyst Board of Directors.

The Catalyst Distinction winners will be celebrated at the second annual Catalyst Solutions Summit Japan on June 1, 2017, at the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku. The Catalyst Solutions Summit Japan delves into topics related to diversity and inclusion, how companies can utilize global best practices to develop their own strategies, and the benefits of having a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Learn more about the Catalyst Solutions Summit Japan and the Catalyst Distinction at catalyst.org.

 

About Catalyst

Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit organization accelerating progress for women through workplace inclusion. With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, India, Australia, and Japan, and more than 800 supporting organizations, Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work. Catalyst’s Japan office opened in 2014, and it provides information and consulting services for companies and other organizations interested in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

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Catalyst Japan Public Relations
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