CAC Holdings Corporation

Kojima

What I felt through the survey and the analysis of diversity and inclusion (D&I) that I did for the CAC Group is that while the numbers are above the industry norm, the absolute numbers are still insufficient.
What are your views on D&I and sustainable management, Ms. Matsuo?

Matsuo

We have discussed sustainable management several times at the Board of Directors’ meetings. But we have never talked about D&I as a single topic. This is probably due to the idea that the CAC Group is already very diverse because it has many employees of nationalities other than Japanese. Then, when I ask “What about women?” they say “Let’s set aside the issue on women for now.” It is true that there was this atmosphere.
However, although the Group did not take any special actions to encourage the active participation of women, your report shows higher numerical values than the industry norm. This allowed me to reconfirm that it is thanks to the CAC Group’s positive corporate climate featuring equal relationships.

Kojima

have the impression that all the people I meet in the CAC Group are high-spirited and can communicate their intentions well.
However, D&I tends to start from the active participation of women and foreigners, doesn’t it?

Matsuo

It may be true generally. However, I feel that awareness of people with disabilities is high at the CAC Group due to the activities for promoting and supporting boccia, a sport for people with disabilities. Company-wide involvement in a sport which can be played by people with disabilities is very important for raising employees’ awareness. In this respect, we can say that D&I has been instilled in the Company.
In addition, the CAC Group’s open attitude to foreigners is actually a rare phenomenon at Japanese companies.
I am not sure why this phenomenon has occurred at the CAC Group. But it seems that subsidiaries in Japan and other countries are interacting with each other through technology. Further, in some projects, services are provided to customers jointly with overseas partners.
Considering these points, I think they understand each other beyond culture, via technology as a common language.
I think that even more excellent results will be produced if actions are taken to accept diversity, including the promotion of the active participation of women.

Kojima

Generally, a frequent reason for impeding the active participation of women is that they cannot work long hours.

Matsuo

But will the young generation accept long working hours? I think they won’t.
While the acquisition of human resources is a global challenge, companies must be friendly to all employees, including women. This will be essential for securing a labor force, including excellent human resources in particular.
Job relocation is also regarded as a barrier to the active participation of women, but I think this can be solved by using IT, including remote working, in many cases. In addition, leadership training for women is not provided by the CAC Group at present. A training program such as this may need to be adopted to accelerate the development of female human resources who will join the management team. I think that, if there is a training program that no woman has ever participated in, they have no choice but to provide women-only training to enable the women to catch up to those who have received the training although I personally don’t support the idea of providing training only for men or women.
A serious decision by top management is essential for opening up ways for senior management to promote D&I. President Nishimori of the CAC Group thinks flexibly. He is also a person who acts immediately if he accepts an idea. I will therefore deepen the discussion at the Board of Directors’ meetings.

Kojima

President Nishimori has set the Five Values as the code of conduct for achieving the Vision. They are Creativity, Humanity, Challenge, Respect, and Pride. Among these five words, Challenge is the core.
How will the CAC Group develop people with a Challenge mindset?

Matsuo

At the Board of Directors meetings, it has been suggested that they establish something like an academy for passing on the skills and qualifications of the current Board members and Executive Officers from generation to generation. Further, the CAC Group employees with whom I have contacted have skills, a management mindset, and they display leadership, so they are well balanced. Therefore, I think that these qualities should also be passed down properly.
Let me tell you what I hope personally.
I hear that the number of both male and female students in the sciences has been decreasing in Japan recently. Because the CAC Group is a corporate entity which practices sustainable management and provides sustainable technologies, it should be able to enhance technological education for the younger generation and for the future of Japan. For example, I think that if the CAC Group can support initiatives enabling students to enjoy science while they are young children, such as by promoting technological education when students are in elementary, junior high, and high school, including female students, the CAC Group will be able to acquire excellent human resources and contribute to other companies as well as the Group companies.

Kojima

Is the diversification of management making progress?

Matsuo

To manage a company, you need to have astounding power. President Nishimori is very energetic, and I feel that the baton has been successfully passed from his predecessor in the aspect of management as well. This is one of the tasks that should be continued. We can also say that management is growing more open to foreigners because there is a non-Japanese Executive Officer. We can expect more diversity if women join them. I hope that women who will join the management team will develop within the Group. The roles they play differ from the roles of the Outside Directors.
Speaking of the Outside Directors, there is another woman, who is a medical doctor.
Thus, the Group has appointed not only businesspeople but also a person with a different perspective.

Kojima

The number of companies which have achieved diversity within their management teams is still small, so the Group’s management is valuable in this sense, too, isn’t it? Top managers make commitments, and management is diverse as well. The issue is how to develop human resources internally, isn’t it?

Matsuo

Yes, it is. The CAC Group has an open corporate climate with equal relationships. I think they should effectively take advantage of this corporate climate. For example, I am concerned that, as far as I can see, the staff of the administrative body supporting the Board of Directors is exclusively male. I am not sur e if all of the members of the administrative organization are men, but they should be aware that this is a factor in the company that is likely to result in male-dominated organizations, and change it. I think this will make things better.
The CAC Group is a system integration (SI) company, which is influential in various industries. If it can provide businesses that support the ability to promote diversity, including the active participation of women, its employees should have greater job satisfaction and pride. Not only people and organizations but also the businesses themselves must be sustainable.
I would like to continue the discussion from this perspective at the Board of Directors’ meetings, thus contributing to the management of the CAC Group.

Kojima

I hope that the CAC Group will continue to grow by opening its door to all excellent people, including women, just as it has been accepting foreigners and people with disabilities widely with an open mind.