Diverse Professionals

To provide values that are tailored to the needs of each consumer, we create an organization where every employee can acquire the abilities and skills needed to generate innovation and continue to grow.
Shiseido is committed to promoting leadership in order to develop talents that can build the vision for our Company future and encourage growth of our employees. Under our job-grade-based HR system that encourages that the right person is in the right position, we are working to establish structures that allow employees to envision and develop their own career paths, identify exceptional talent early on and nurture professionals who can work wherever in the world through global mobility, and also recruit and develop specialized talent in areas such as marketing and R&D. In terms of our resource allocation, we will continue to focus on investing in areas such as digital and other specialized skill training, leadership training, and nurturing global talent. In the autumn of 2023, we will open Shiseido Future University in Ginza—the company’s birthplace—where we will roll out global talent development programs as part of building a knowledge base for creating the future of Shiseido.

At Shiseido, we aim to bring together diverse professional talent, welcoming all genders, nationalities, ethnicities, ages, lifestyles, careers, and work styles so we can all learn from each other and continue co-creating.
Up until now, we have not only created a work environment that promotes the active female participation, but we have also introduced talent management, adopted English as the official in-house language at our global headquarters to promote diversity, and carried out Reverse Mentoring to foster a culture that respects diverse opinions and values.
We will continue to develop and implement programs that allow diverse professionals to thrive in their own careers while also promoting initiatives that include workshops to eliminate unconscious bias.

A bold corporate culture serves as the foundation for diverse professionals to learn from each other and improve their skills.
We are committed to cultivating a corporate culture in which all employees worldwide holds TRUST 8 competencies and continue to challenge themselves to realize our corporate mission of “BEAUTY INNOVATIONS FOR A BETTER WORLD.”
To establish TRUST 8 as working principles, we will focus on strengthening the implementation of TRUST 8 competency evaluations and utilizing them in talent development programs. Those who have significant influence on corporate culture are the leaders. At Shiseido Future University, we will provide a unique curriculum that combines state-of-the-art, world-class business education with an understanding of Shiseido's heritage and how we have pursued beauty and richness of spirit since our founding. We will nurture leaders and help them develop “strategic thinking,” “leadership,” and “sensitivity.” In addition, to promote management that values the health and safety of employees and their families, we will strengthen initiatives to enhance the well-being of Shiseido employees worldwide.

Through these efforts, we will improve employee engagement to maximize the performance of diverse talent, which will contribute to value creation.

We will create an inclusive society through our accumulated learning and knowledge of diversity and inclusion (D&I) and the power of beauty.

Director, Senior Executive Officer
Chief D&I Officer

Yukari Suzuki

Since its founding in 1872, Shiseido has been a pioneer of each era, offering ways to live through the latest values and fulfilling lifestyles. On the other hand, the current social environment is changing more rapidly than ever before, having a significant impact on established concepts, customs, and ways of working. These changes have become even more pronounced as the spread of COVID-19 has exacerbated problems for many, including the socially vulnerable.

Based on the understanding that people are inherently diverse, Shiseido aims to create a society where each individual feels empowered, confident, and frees to be oneself. The company positions diversity and inclusion (D&I) as an important business strategy to eliminate preconceived notions, prejudices, and peer pressure and work to help create a more inclusive society. We are also focusing on two strategic pillars: “Advancing Gender Equality” and “Empowerment through the Power of Beauty.” We utilize the strength, knowledge, and experience we have accumulated through our beauty business and internal D&I initiatives to address social issues on a global scale.

In February 2023, Shiseido announced the establishment of the Shiseido D&I Lab, a new research institution within the company focusing on D&I. The lab will affirm achievements and results of diverse talent in Shiseido, leading to effective actions to accelerate D&I internally. The findings gained from this research will be shared within the company and with society as a whole, contributing to Japan's economic growth through the realization of D&I.

My appointment as Chief D&I Officer last year has given me a broader perspective on society and strengthened my belief that D&I is not only essential for our company's sustainable growth but that it should also be viewed as having significant potential for social growth. Diversity is a means, not a target. The essential challenge is to transform our company culture into one that harnesses diversity, sparks innovation, and drives value creation. We will continue creating an inclusive society where each individual is respected, and everyone can fully demonstrate their capabilities.

April 2023

 

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Shiseido holds a large female consumer base, and with over 80% of our employees worldwide being women, it is essential to provide a working environment that encourages women to grow and flourish.
We aim for a gender ratio of 50:50, a symbol of equal opportunity, at all the management level. At the moment, the ratio of female on the Directors and Audit & Suoervisory Board Members, the ratio of female on Executive Officers, and the ratio of female managers in domestic Shiseido Group has steadily increased to 40.0%, 35.3%, and 37.6%, respectively, but we are still only halfway to achieving our 2030 goal. We believe that improving diversity on the Board of Directors, in particular, achieving gender balance among executives who have a significant impact on corporate culture is an important and challenging goal. We will strengthen our efforts, including diversifying our “NEXT LEADERSHIP SESSION for WOMEN” training program for training female leaders and expanding workshops to eliminate unconscious biases.

In addition to introducing and operating various systems aimed for female empowerment, we will promote D&I within the company by revising HR systems and management reforms. We will strive to build a corporate culture where employees with different cultural backgrounds and values can demonstrate their abilities and respect each other, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, age, lifestyle, or career.

On the other hand, as part of our initiatives to expand D&I into society, we participated in the 30% Club Japan, a global campaign aiming to increase the ratio of female among executive officers in Japanese companies in order to promote gender equality in Japan, where it is significantly behind the rest of the world. In 2022 CEO Masahiko Uotani has been reappointed as chair for a second term, and Chief D&I Officer Yukari Suzuki has been appointed as a member of the Steering Committee. The Shiseido representatives are active in the 30% Club Japan to boost women's participation in decision-making roles within Japanese companies and to empower women with the potential to drive growth in Japanese society. The number of companies participating in the TOPIX Presidents’ Committee, which is the central community of the 30% Club Japan, has increased to 35, and the ratio of female among executives has risen to 22.9%, which is 14 points higher than the Japanese average for listed companies.
In addition, we support the education of socially vulnerable women and girls around the world to help them become more independent.
UNICEF and Clé de Peau Beauté began their partnership in 2019 in support of UNICEF's Gender Equality Program and their work promoting gender equality through education, employment, and empowerment in some countries and regions.

In terms of empowerment through the power of beauty, we are focused on “Shiseido Life Quality Beauty,” an initiative we have been engaged in for over 60 years. The initiative advocates that the power of beauty contributes not only to physical and mental well-being but also to social well-being, supporting people in taking their own steps forward, regardless of age, illness, or disability. In particular, under LAVENDER RING, a multilateral project to support people with cancer, Shiseido has led to the 2022 global expansion of the MAKEUP & PHOTOS WITH SMILES photo exhibit in four countries and regions (China, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand), in addition to Japan. We have gained courage and insights from the messages and smiles of the cancer survivors who have participated in our events in Japan and across Asia. Shiseido will continue to support everyone's hope to ”feel confident and continue living their lives” through the power of beauty.

Progress on our major initiatives in and outside of Japan is as follows:

• Job-grade-based HR system introduced in Japan to place the right people to the right positions
• Ongoing management skill improvement training for managers in Japan to thoroughly implement the job-grade-based HR system and leverage diverse talent
• New career mentoring program launched in Japan that allows employees to have career-related conversations with managers other than their direct supervisor to promote career autonomy (266 participants in 2022)
• Global Grade System introduced to serve as a common framework for the Shiseido Group
• Group-wide bonus program (One Shiseido Bonus Program) implemented for overseas regions
• Various global leadership training programs conducted for executive officers, regional CEOs, and other leaders at headquarters and regional offices (162 participants in 2022)
• LinkedIn Learning expanded globally as a platform that gives employees autonomy over their professional development
  (5,739 global participants in 2022)
• Global mobility policy renewed and programs nurturing global talent enhanced
• Global engagement survey (positive global overall engagement score of 65% in 2022)
• Reverse Mentoring implemented in Japan, where young employees act as mentors to executive officers and department heads (892 participants in total from 2017 to 2022)
• NEXT LEADERSHIP SESSION for WOMEN training conducted in Japan to foster female leaders (202 participants in total from 2017 to 2022)
• Mentoring program Speak Jam implemented in Japan for direct discussion of career development options between female executives and female employees (117 participants in total from 2020 to 2022)