REPORT
Diversity Month 2024 Events Held Globally at Group Companies
Diversity Week, which has been held since 2015 to promote diversity at Sony Group locations around the world, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024. This year, the event was renamed Diversity Month, and with the theme "We Belong, Create & Grow Together," a variety of events were held, including seminars and lectures on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I).
On the occasion of Diversity Month 2024, Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman and CEO, and Hiroki Totoki, President, COO and CFO of Sony Group Corporation delivered a message to all employees.
Message from Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman and CEO,
and Hiroki Totoki, President, COO and CFO, Sony Group Corporation
To all employees regarding Diversity Month 2024
The Sony Group is the only company in the world that manages diverse businesses such as games, music, pictures, anime, entertainment technology, semiconductors and financial services. We strive to build an inclusive culture across the company, honoring the diverse perspectives and backgrounds of our approximately 110,000 employees worldwide. We believe the diversity of our businesses and people is our company's strength and a strong foundation from which we can influence positive change throughout society.
This year, our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement was redefined for the first time in a decade. It expresses our belief that we can work together to build an inclusive society by embracing diverse ideas, values and experiences.
Each year we recognize Diversity Month globally as an opportunity to inspire Sony Group's employees to advancing diversity and inclusion within our workplace and beyond. This year's theme, "We Belong, Create & Grow Together," quoted directly from the updated statement, encourages us to recognize the importance of engaging with our colleagues to cultivate a collaborative environment and communities, and to recognize the value of diverse perspectives within organizations. Various events will be held around the world in recognition of this theme.
Individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and expertise co-create the future by unleashing their creativity. Growth of individuals and the growth of the company are both keys for Sony to evolve as a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology.
We hope that Diversity Month will encourage every one of you to gain new insights and apply them in your life. Let us work together to fill the world with emotion using Sony's unique strength, diversity.
Events held in various locations
Here are some of the events that took place in various countries and regions during the period.
Events in Japan
On September 17, 2024, Sony delivered a talk session broadcasted online between neuroscientist Dr. Ken Mogi and Naomi Matsuoka, Senior Vice President in charge of Lead of Group DE&I, on the importance of diversity in Sony's innovation and the purpose of life.
At the beginning, Naomi asked to hear the opinions of neuroscientists about how we can naturally accept diversity. In response, Ken introduced the fact that, despite the notion that women are not very good at engineering, the first human programmer was actually a woman. He said that there is a trend that women should be more active, but from the perspective of neuroscience, humans are inherently creatures with diverse personalities that play an active role. Naomi also asked how diversity can lead to the liberation of creativity, as it is often said that people with diverse particulars are the catalyst for cultivating creativity. Ken responded that in collective intelligence, which is currently under study, "social sensitivity," the ability to understand how each other feels, is important, and that echoing the social sensitivity of diverse people is also important for creativity.
Speaker: Kenichiro Mogi (Neuroscientist, Senior Researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories Inc.)Moderator: Naomi Matsuoka (Senior Vice President, Sony Group Corporation)
Other events included talk sessions, roundtable discussions, seminars and exhibitions held at Sony Group companies in Japan in line with this year's theme and each company's DE&I promotion efforts. In addition, cafeterias at the Shinagawa, Osaki, Minatomirai, and Atsugi sites offered menus in collaboration with Diversity Month.
Examples of an event themes
- Co-creation that transcends disabilities
- Career and working environment for women, seniors, and foreign employees
- LGBTQ+ initiatives
- Balancing work with childcare and nursing care
- Accessibility
- Mental health
Roundtable discussion and exhibition on co-creation with employees with disabilities; Sony Corporation's session with Sputniko!; a networking event that brought together the female director level of each company; and a poster display on LGBTQ+ initiativesOverseas Activities
Overseas, each company also held its own unique events to meet the interests of its employees under the theme "We Belong, Create and Grow Together ~ Importance of CommUNITY~." Prior to the event, we also sent out messages from top management, published newsletters, and distributed e-learning programs related to DE&I to raise employee interest so that the entire group could participate in the Diversity Month period as one. During the period, approximately 30 events were held in various countries and regions, with a total of more than 1,900 Sony Group employees participating.
An online event at Sony Corporation of America to learn how to research one's family history, a Facing Yourself session at Sony Music Group, and a lunch session and leadership training at Sony EuropeOver 5,400 Sony Group employees from Japan and overseas participated in the event, which provided an opportunity to reflect on the significance of DE&I promotion. The Sony Group will continue our efforts to create a workplace where everyone is able to work comfortably through a variety of measures.
