Opening video message - An inclusive organization is crucial for Sony to sustainably grow

To open, Kazushi Ambe, Corporate Executive Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, Sony Group Corporation delivered a speech via video. To begin, he touched on the theme of International Women's Day 2024, "Inspire Inclusion," and how an inclusive organization (one that embraces diversity) is essential for Sony's sustainable growth. Furthermore, in response to Yoshida's message delivered on the same day, he talked about having participated himself in helping to create an inclusive organization at the Sony Group and feeling an increased awareness towards inclusivity. He concluded the speech with saying he hopes today's lecture would be an opportunity for each and every one of us to think about how we can maximize diversity and work on creating new values.

Keynote speech by Professor Ryoji Hoshika of the University of Tokyo's Graduate School

In the first half, the University of Tokyo's Graduate School Professor, Ryoji Hoshika gave a keynote speech with the theme of "new leadership changing organizations." Professor Hoshika retraced the progression of diversity in Japanese companies, and noted that the strategy of inclusion has become increasingly important within modern society. He elaborated by explaining the affect of traditional leadership and organizational culture on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), and said that making the most of diverse individuals with an inclusive style of leadership will be important moving forward. Hoshika concluded the speech by addressing the various challenges in leadership and the need to raise awareness not only in leaders, but also among all members throughout the organization.

Conversation Session - Unraveling the Personalized Leadership Needed for the Future

The second half was a conversational session with Professor Hoshika and journalist Keiko Hamada with the theme of "unraveling the personalized leadership needed for the future." Hamada started by talking about her career up until this point and searching for her own style of leadership. In response, Professor Hoshika asked if she had faced any resistance in implementing new leadership. Hamada then cited her experience of being ignored by male reporters even after becoming the deputy editor of their weekly publication and said she was able to surpass this by focusing not on the "people," but the "thing" of creating good articles together. When asked by Professor Hoshika how she changed her style to break away from the previous leadership style, Hamada replied that her style involved listening to and solving each individual's problems and concerns so they could all play an active role. The event ended with a Q&A session with the speakers and spectators.

Speakers
Professor Ryoji Hoshika (Center for Barrier-Free Education, Graduate School of Education, the University of Tokyo)
Keiko Hamada (Journalist; Former General Editor in Chief for Business Insider Japan; Former Editor in Chief for AERA, a popular weekly magazine by the Asahi Shimbun Company.)

Networking Events for Female Managers - Sony Women Leaders Forum in IWD

In the afternoon of the same day, the Sony Women Leaders Forum in IWD^*2, a cross departmental networking event, was held for female employees in Japan, who are in equivalent managerial positions at the front lines of diverse Sony Group businesses. In addition to the World Cafe^*3, which talked about leadership, management methodology, and career, a panel discussion was held with senior management employees as panelists. At the end of the networking session, Naomi Matsuoka, Senior Vice President, in charge of lead of Group Diversity, Equity & Inclusion gave advice on how to enjoy work as well as delegate it, along with the powerful message: "It's okay that there are many different styles of leadership, and you can make it a reality".

• ^*2Abbreviation for International Women's Day
• ^*3World Cafe: A meeting method that allows for collective awareness through discussions in smaller groups about a topic with different combinations of members, in a relaxing cafe-like environment

Related Event: Opportunity for more people to think about and discuss gender

To raise awareness of International Women's Day within the Sony Group and create the opportunity for employees to think about and discuss gender issues with each other, Sony distributed background images for online meeting, straps, and postcards at each of its location in Japan, which feature the key visual of a mimosa flower - a symbol of International Women's Day. In addition, the company cafeterias at each of its location offered spring-themed menus inspired by International Women's Day and mimosas as part of a collaboration project.

The Sony Group will continue to move forward with a variety of efforts to create a workplace where everyone is able to work comfortably.

Related Link:：Sony Group Portal - Sony Global - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | STATEMENT