Traders Magazine spoke with Liz Ceisler, Chief Human Resources Officer at Mizuho Americas, which won Best in Corporate Culture at the 2023 Markets Choice Awards.

When it comes to corporate culture, the tone is set from the top. How does Mizuho leadership help create a positive and rewarding environment?

Mizuho executives lead by example, and are highly engaged outside of the day-to-day business. They sponsor, attend, and lead DE&I events, volunteer in the community alongside employees, and frequently grab meals with staff from across the firm. Our Chairman & CEO recently extended an open invitation to employees at all stages of their careers into his office for small group lunches; it’s booked up for months! Talking about culture isn’t lip service at Mizuho – our actions speak to our culture of accessibility and values.

What are some current initiatives that are playing a key role in shaping your corporate culture?

A major initiative is the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open, our first-ever sports sponsorship in the US and a brand new tournament on the LPGA Tour. This tournament is a point of pride for our employees. It showcases our corporate values and, with special volunteer opportunities and VIP experiences, it gives employees new ways to engage with each other and their clients. Through partnerships with the LPGA, American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), and our charitable partner Girls Inc., we’ve created a purpose-driven tournament that promotes opportunity for women and girls on and off the golf course. We’re incredibly excited about this new, flagship Mizuho event.

In your acceptance speech at the Markets Choice Awards gala, you mentioned how much the culture has changed since you have been with the firm. Please tell us more.

I joined the firm in 2006, not so long after Mizuho Financial Group was formed, through the merger of three Japanese banks. At that time, we had 600 or 700 employees in the US, across various legal entities, each with its own website, corporate functions, policies, even email domains. The mindset was siloed, and the culture was difficult to define. Today, that former reality is hard for most Mizuho employees to imagine. This speaks to the major investments we have made across the board in our corporate culture, from where I sit in HR, integrating our policies and platforms, to bringing our employees together physically in a single headquarters, to our DE&I efforts, and ultimately our brand identity.

Some banks are mandating employees work in the office full-time following the pandemic, stressing the importance of being together in person for corporate culture and business efficiencies. Mizuho has stuck to its hybrid approach. Why?

A flexible work environment is beneficial not only for employee satisfaction, but for talent retention, productivity, and overall corporate culture. Our hybrid program allows certain divisions to determine schedules that make the most sense for their areas. At the same time, we recognize that being in the office helps build relationships, foster collaboration and allows for spontaneous (or planned) interactions which spark creativity. We think we’ve struck a great balance, and are very happy with the results.

Why has Mizuho invested so much in its corporate culture in recent years?

Simply put, it is very important to our leadership. A unified and positive corporate culture is critical to attracting and retaining top talent, and for motivating employees around a common goal. For us, that goal is to firmly establish Mizuho as a top 10 corporate and investment bank in the US. We’ve made tremendous progress in promoting our culture internally, and now we’re ready to share our values outwardly as an established brand, in order to accelerate progress toward that goal. We recently launched the “A Name Worth Knowing” brand campaign and are about to kick off the Mizuho Americas Open; neither would have been possible without our many years of deliberate focus on defining and strengthening our culture.