Inclusion At Mizuho EMEA

Our people are essential to the success of our business and we are proud of our many achievements in embedding inclusion and diversity within Mizuho. We celebrate and value our differences and by promoting and ensuring an inclusive environment we can build on the collective, and complementary, skills, knowledge, background and networks of our people.

Senior management commitment

Our senior management are fully committed to Mizuho’s inclusion and diversity agenda, and receive regular updates on progress towards our goals. Our senior leaders continue to have objectives that hold them accountable for achievements towards internal aspirational targets.

Inclusion at Mizuho EMEA

Being a founding signatory to the UK's HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter, as well as the first Japanese owned financial institution to sign the Charter, is evidence of our commitment to see gender balance at all levels across financial services firms. Further evidence is the range of collaborative partnerships we have entered into in order to support inclusivity in the workplace and to translate learnings into meaningful outcomes for Mizuho.

Discover more about the external partnerships supporting our inclusion initiatives

Valuing diversity is an integral part of our strategy for competing in the current and future marketplace. Underpinned by our core value of being a catalyst for change - via integrity, passion, agility, creativity and empathy - creating an inclusive workplace is paramount for driving business performance and success.

With our values at the core of our culture, we are proud to be running Allies programmes and initiatives to raise awareness and maintain and enhance our culture of inclusion and diversity.

Supporting social mobility

At Mizuho, we are committed to moving beyond social mobility being seen as just another buzzword. We are dedicated to rethinking how we build successful, forward-thinking teams, and we believe in breaking down barriers and building up potential.

We are incredibly proud to join organisations across the UK in celebrating Social Mobility Day. This is a day that is dedicated to raising awareness about the significance of social mobility and creating opportunities for everyone to thrive, regardless of background, upbringing, or socioeconomic status.

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Watch our short video featuring insights from:

Emma Dolby, CHRO at Mizuho EMEA and Renee Henze, Early Careers Lead at Mizuho EMEA on what social mobility means to them and the business.
Roger Wynne-Dyke, CEO of One Degree, our Markets business charity partner supporting young people from less advantaged backgrounds in the areas around the City of London.
Shree Laturia, Structured Finance Trader at Mizuho EMEA, who shares his experience as a volunteer mentor with One Degree.

Coming together to celebrate Pride in Amsterdam

The Amsterdam office came together to celebrate Pride, joining in the spirit of the city’s official parade and festivities with a pub quiz that tested the participants’ knowledge of LGBTQ+ history, culture, and milestones, sparking friendly competition and meaningful conversations.

Celebrating the World Day for Cultural Diversity

Our London and Amsterdam offices came alive with colours, stories, traditional attire, and delicious cuisines as we celebrated the UN’s World Day for Cultural Diversity. The event showcased the breadth of diversity of our colleagues around the world – recognising and embracing our rich cultural heritage, faiths, and beliefs. Hear from our colleagues and learn what the day means to them. Read our article here.

Celebrating Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr across EMEA

Our colleagues who observed the holy month of Ramadan and celebrated Eid al-Fitr had put together various initatives across our EMEA offices :

Our Suhoor gathering in Saudi Arabia brought together more than 80 esteemed clients for an evening of insightful conversation and a commitment to renewed partnerships.
We were proud to contribute 750 Iftar meals to workers in the UAE, serving as a reflection of our values and the power of giving back to the community.
Colleagues in our London office gathered to celebrate Eid al-Fitr where we shared stories of reflection, growth, and resilience.

Reflecting on lessons from International Women’s Day

Our teams in London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt celebrated International Women’s Day throughout the month of March with a series of events surrounding this year’s theme, #AccelerateAction. We heard the stories of inspirational women across the industry through engaging keynotes and panel discussions, featuring guest speakers Dr. Jo Salter MBE, and Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE.

Inclusion across Mizuho globally

Mizuho Financial Group has long been engaged in activities to enhance inclusion and diversity, and in 2016 published a Diversity and Inclusion Statement outlining the strategy, areas of focus and initiatives planned to promote the active involvement of Mizuho's diverse workforce.

Mizuho Financial Group is proud to be awarded a gold rating on the PRIDE Index by work with Pride for the third year in a row. The index recognises our initiatives to create an inclusive environment for colleagues from the LGBT+ community. In Japan, Mizuho Bank began offering mortgages to same sex couples in 2017, and held a life planning seminar for same sex couples in 2018.

Mizuho Financial Group has been selected as a member in the Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index (GEI) since 2018. The Bloomberg GEI is a reference index created in 2016 by Bloomberg to meet a growing need among investors worldwide for greater access to information that allows them to evaluate companies' reputations, values and business results.

We are also proud to say that for three years in a row, Mizuho has received the Nadeshiko Brand designation. This is a recognition jointly conferred by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), recognising TSE-listed companies that are outstanding in terms of encouraging the empowerment of women in the workplace.

Related information

See our other initiatives