25 April 2024

Recognition as a Nadeshiko Brand for Fiscal Year 2023

Awards

I was delighted to hear the announcement on March 21st that Sumitomo Electric Industries had been selected as a Nadeshiko Brand for fiscal year 2023. The Nadeshiko Brand is an initiative of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Stock Exchange to recognize companies that excel in promoting women’s empowerment in the workplace. Every year METI and TSE evaluate companies listed on the stock exchange and select the top companies in each industry for the brand. This is the fifth time that Sumitomo Electric Industries has been selected.

In recent years, evaluators of the Nadeshiko Brand have scrutinized whether companies have included the empowerment of women in their management strategies, implemented effective initiatives in regard to such empowerment, and increased their corporate value as a result. With this in mind, I’m especially happy about our selection this year because I feel that it recognizes the many steady efforts we have made.

One effort that is particularly noteworthy is the establishment of the Diversity and Inclusion Department. This department was formed in June 2020 and reports directly to the President’s Office. It has a dedicated full-time staff that works persistently to accelerate the growth of a corporate culture in which everyone in our diverse workforce can make the most of their abilities.

Another important effort is a mentoring program that we started in 2021. This program is designed to support the development of women who currently hold, or are candidates for, managerial roles within the company. In this program, mentees are paired with mentors who are managers in other departments. The pairs meet regularly to discuss topics such as medium- to long-term growth, employee development, and workplace management. Every year I get a chance to lecture to the participants in this program, at which time I share my expectations about their leadership. There is also a meaningful opportunity for me to hear directly from each mentee in an informal setting.

It is worth mentioning here that diversity and inclusion is one of the core components of the management policy defined in 2030 VISION, the long-term vision of the Sumitomo Electric Group. I have shared my thoughts on the significance of D&I in a video about 2030 VISION that was distributed to all employees. To summarize, I believe that continuing to foster workplaces where every person can maximize their abilities and experience growth through their work is essential to the sustained development of the Sumitomo Electric Group and our mission to contribute to society with better products and services.

Holding the Nadeshiko Brand certificate, with Executive Officer Kunii (seated) and members of the Diversity and Inclusion Department.

METI press release, “Companies Selected under the FY2023 Nadeshiko Brands and Next Nadeshiko: Companies Supporting Dual-career and Co-parenting” (March 21, 2024)
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0321_002.html

President’s blog, "Establishment of Diversity & Inclusion Department" (August 3, 2020)
https://sumitomoelectric.com/president/2020/08/202012