Famed management guru Peter Drucker is reported to have once said “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It wasn’t an assertion that strategy isn’t important, but an observation that without a business culture of engaged, valued, and motivated employees, the best laid plans can end up poorly executed. Culture counts.

Once regarded as a nice-to-have, a focus on cohesion and collaboration has quickly emerged as a critical driver of organizational effectiveness and sustainability.

Even the bellwether of business best practices, the Harvard Business Review, took up the culture cause with the 2021 article Company Culture is Everyone’s Responsibility. It noted that “culture has become a strategic priority with impact on the bottom line. It can’t just be delegated and compartmentalized anymore.”

At the 2023 Markets Choice Awards, Mizuho Americas received the first Best in Corporate Culture Award. It was recognition of its achievement in building one of the fastest-growing corporate and investment banks, while fostering a culture where employee satisfaction was a top priority.

Paying tribute to its first recipient, Markets Media decided to rename the award to the Mizuho Corporate Culture Award with intention of recognizing firms or individuals in the capital markets industry that have demonstrated excellence in promoting a positive — and fun —company culture.

Debuting May 9^th at Markets Media’s 2024 Markets Choice Awards, in New York’s Central Park Boathouse, Markets Media Group is pleased to introduce the Mizuho Corporate Culture Award. It will be awarded annually at both the Markets Choice and Women in Finance Awards.

Liz Ceisler, Chief Human Resources Officer at Mizuho Americas, accepted the Best in Corporate Culture Award on behalf of the firm in 2023 and spoke with Markets Media following the recognition.

“Talking about culture isn’t lip service at Mizuho – our actions speak to our culture of accessibility and values,” Ceisler said. “A unified and positive corporate culture is critical to attracting and retaining top talent, and for motivating employees around a common goal,” she continued. “We’ve made tremendous progress in promoting our culture internally, and now we’re ready to share our values outwardly.”

As with all Markets Choice Awards, we rely on input from our readers as to which individuals or firms deserve consideration for the Mizuho Corporate Culture Award, so please nominate today!