NTT DATA Is Proud to Endorse Women's Empowerment Principles in Celebration of International Women’s Day

TOKYO, March 5, 2019 – NTT DATA Corporation today announced a CEO statement endorsing the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), which offer guidance for empowering women in the workplace, marketplace and community. The seven principles, which is a joint initiative of United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact, emphasize the business case for promoting gender equality and encouraging women to participate fully across all economic sectors. NTT DATA is also joining CATALYST at the global support level, the world’s leading nonprofit organization founded in 1962 to help companies to build workplaces that work for women.

Diversity and inclusion are major corporate priorities for NTT DATA, especially as the company continues to expand internationally and serves a wide range of clients and industries. To fulfill the company’s vision of “Trusted Global Innovator,” it is vital to hire diverse talent and work with a variety of business partners. "Trust" occurs only when each individual feels they are valued, respected and treated fairly. "Innovation" is achieved and sustained by the combination of perspectives from a diverse workforce and partners.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are a primary focus area for the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. In Japan, where NTT DATA is based, women's participation in society is a top government priority. As a concerned corporate citizen, NTT DATA Corporation (Japan) has taken a leading role in this regard by ensuring that female graduates comprise at least 1/3 of new hires every year. In addition, the number of female managers has doubled in recent years. In recognition of these efforts and results, the Japanese government presented NTT DATA with the prestigious Diversity Management Prime 2.0 Award in 2018.

The company’s momentum towards empowerment has global overtones that are reflected by an employee-led group known as WIN, short for “Women Inspire NTT DATA.” The group is active in Japan, the U.S., Canada, Germany, the UK, Italy, Romania, India and Spain, and is expanding to other countries. In Milan in October 2018, senior executives met with several dozen WIN representatives to further expand NTT DATA’s official support for women's empowerment.

Keiichiro Yanagi, Senior Executive Vice President of NTT DATA Corporation, promised consistent communication to jointly identify and address gender equality challenges, which typically vary by country. So far at NTT DATA, women represent almost half of in-country managers in Romania and Myanmar; about 30 percent in Turkey, Columbia and the U.S.; and 15 to 20 percent in Western Europe. Moving further towards gender parity is an important global objective for the company.

The company’s decision to formally endorse the Women's Empowerment Principles will help advance women's participation in the workplace, and it calls further attention to the celebration of International Women's Day. NTT DATA also believes that empowering women will help accelerate the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Information technology is a driver for innovation. Gender diversity brings fresh perspectives to the tech sector. It is the social responsibility of the tech industry to support STEM education in younger generations, including girls, so NTT DATA plans to hold employee-led programs to attract girls to STEM in several cities in Spain and Germany during March 2019.

Yo Honma, President and CEO of NTT DATA, said, “I believe that endorsing these well-established and powerful principles accelerate diversity and inclusion at NTT DATA. One of the key drivers to realize our "Trusted Global Innovator" vision is by creating a workplace and work culture where every person feels valued, respected and treated fairly. Being open to different opinions is a source of creativity, making us competitive in the global market. I am committed to ensuring that, at NTT DATA, we encourage equality and empower women and everyone has the opportunity to contribute and achieve success at NTT DATA. It is only trough inclusion that organizations can benefit from diversity. I am proud that NTT DATA is commemorating this day internationally, and I applaud the efforts of our employees and everyone who fosters the advancement of women.”

About UN Global Compact

The UN Global Compact is a voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and to take steps to support UN goals. For more information, visit the United Nations Global Impact website. 

About UN Women

UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.For more information, visit http://www.unwomen.org/en/

About WEPs (Women's Empowerment Principles)

The Women's Empowerment Principles are a collaboration of UN Women and UN Global Compact (UNGC). The principles help guide private-sector actions that promote gender equality. The seven specific principles outlines steps that businesses can take to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. For more information, visit the Women's Empowerment Princples website.  

About Catalyst

Catalyst is a global nonprofit working with some of the world’s most powerful CEOs and leading companies to help build workplaces that work for women. Founded in 1962, Catalyst drives change with pioneering research, practical tools, and proven solutions to accelerate and advance women into leadership—because progress for women is progress for everyone. For more information, visit Catalyst. 

About SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. The goals address global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. For more information, visit the United Nations website. 

About International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8. It commemorates the movement for women’s rights and was first celebrated in 1911 by women and men who supported women’s rights to work, vote, receive training and hold public office.

The day became a global event in 1975 when it gained official support from the United Nations.