Among all the initiatives carried out by the Diversity Promotion, “Promoting Women’s Participation” is an area on which the department has placed particular emphasis from before its establishment to the present.

While women account for 38% of the Nichirei Group’s executives and employees (FY2025 figures), there are still challenges to be addressed regarding the proportion of women in management and executive positions involved in decision-making.

Against this backdrop, Kato states that promoting women’s advancement is an essential and indispensable step toward creating an organization where everyone can work in a way that is true to themselves.

The Nichirei Group has been implementing the “Group Project to Promote Women’s Advancement” since fiscal year 2023. The primary objectives of this project are to develop effective measures based on the real voices of female employees working on the front lines, and to foster an organizational culture that supports women’s participation.

Furthermore, for the members participating in the project, it serves as an opportunity to broaden their horizons by viewing challenges from a Group-wide perspective that transcends the boundaries of their individual companies, and through dialogue with members from diverse backgrounds—including different business sectors, job positions, and age groups.
This mutual learning and exchange of insights is one of the major benefits of undertaking this initiative as a Group.

In fiscal year 2023 (Phase 1), we began by identifying challenges on the front lines, followed by organizing and prioritizing them. We first assessed the current situation and clarified the challenges that the Group as a whole must address.

In fiscal year 2024 (Phase 2), we held a roundtable discussion between the presidents of each group company and the project members. This was in response to feedback raised by members during the previous year’s issue identification process, specifically the concern that “the company’s philosophy and stance on promoting women’s advancement may not be sufficiently communicated to the front lines.”
The roundtable provided an opportunity not only to hear directly from the presidents of each company but also to convey frontline perspectives to management. Furthermore, by sharing the content of the discussion across the entire company, we were able to raise awareness of management’s commitment to promoting women’s advancement.

In fiscal year 2025 (Phase 3), we refocused our attention on the fact that employees within the Group have diverse backgrounds and experiences, and conducted roundtable discussions and interviews from perspectives such as “female employees with overseas assignment experience,” “mid-career hires,” and “female managers.” This not only deepened the project members’ own understanding of diverse career paths and options for working in a way that aligns with their individuality, but also, by sharing these insights with all Group employees, expanded opportunities for everyone to explore the possibilities of diverse career paths.

Furthermore, as discussions progressed among the members, it became clear that while some aspects of realizing diverse work styles rely on individual effort and ingenuity, there are also structural challenges that need to be addressed.
Consequently, we organized forums for exchanging views with the heads of human resources and diversity promotion at each company. By sharing challenges based on feedback from the front lines, we were able to move toward considering more concrete measures.

Through these annual activities, project members have shared feedback such as, “I was able to understand the background and objectives behind the company’s efforts to promote women’s advancement,” “Participating in the project has allowed me to think about my work and career with a more positive outlook than before,” and “My perspective has broadened, and I’ve become better able to consider the group as a whole.”

Furthermore, following the establishment of the Diversity Promotion within the holding company in 2024, the target ratio for female managers—which had previously been set only for the holding company—was expanded to include group companies as well. In addition to the aforementioned projects, the company began developing a group-wide “Women’s Development Program” framework (see table below). “Behind this initiative was the company’s desire to increase the number of female employees involved in various decision-making processes and to promote women’s advancement across the entire group,” says Hamanishi.

Starting in fiscal year 2024, we have conducted hands-on leadership training every year for female employees at Group companies who are future management candidates. Designed to help female management candidates acquire the problem-solving skills and leadership techniques necessary for managerial roles, this program involves a cycle of monthly “classroom sessions (input)” and “on-the-job practice (output)” over a period of approximately five months.

The understanding and support of supervisors are essential for developing female management candidates. As part of this program, a training session is held for the participants’ supervisors prior to the program’s start, where they learn about the significance of promoting women’s advancement and how to support the participants’ challenges. With this backing, the approximately five-month hands-on leadership training program begins.

During the “classroom sessions,” there are opportunities for participants to discuss assigned themes and challenges with one another, as well as to share what they have put into practice on the job. Kato notes that this interaction with others serves as a valuable opportunity to incorporate ideas and perspectives that they might not have considered on their own.

Under the mentoring program introduced in fiscal year 2025, we select a mentor for each new female manager from within the Nichirei Group and provide one year of mentoring to help them perform with confidence.Through dialogue with a mentor who is not their direct supervisor, this system provides empathetic support to address the management-related concerns and anxieties of newly appointed female managers.

In addition, for newly appointed general managers, we have established a system that allows them to select an external mentor in addition to an internal one, encouraging them to establish their perspective and management style as a general manager while gaining exposure to a wider range of viewpoints and experiences.

The Nichirei Group has been listening to the voices employees on the front lines, identifying challenges, and taking step-by-step action that transcends group boundaries.
These efforts are now beginning to expand beyond women to create an organization where employees from diverse backgrounds can work in a way that is true to themselves.

[Part 3: “Enjoying Our Differences”: Behind the Scenes of Diversity Week (tentative title)] (Scheduled for release in September) will introduce the “Diversity Week” company-wide event held in 2025.