MUNICH, GERMANY - Last Friday, Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) officially received its certificate as a signatory of the Corporate Charter of Diversity for Germany (“Charta der Vielfalt”).
This formalizes the technology group’s commitment to fostering a culture of diversity in the workplace, particularly in terms of age, gender, and ethnic origin. The voluntary pledge also gave G&D the opportunity to discuss the innovation potential and requirements of successful diversity management with experts from the science sector and other companies.
Founded in 2006, the German “Charta der Vielfalt” is a national business initiative designed to promote diversity in companies and institutions. It aims to further the acceptance, appreciation, and inclusion of diversity in German corporate culture. Around 1,700 companies and public bodies have already signed this diversity charter, representing a total of over 6.7 million employees.
G&D joined this initiative last December and has now been awarded the official certificate. This was presented by Tassilo Wirth, Global Diversity Manager at the BMW Group and “Charta der Vielfalt” representative. Following the presentation, Dr. Peter Zattler, Member of the Management Board, CFO, and Director of Labor Relations at G&D, commented: “The high quality of our innovative products and services depends on a blend of different skills, experiences, and mindsets. Particularly for us, as a technology group, actively ensuring diversity in the workforce is therefore a key success factor.” By signing the charter, G&D also hopes to strengthen its dialog with other companies and gain from their experiences.
In keeping with the charter, diversity management at G&D covers several key aspects, systematically implementing measures related to age, gender, and cultural diversity. In response to the effects of demographic change, G&D is focusing on maintaining performance levels by offering targeted healthcare measures, nurturing up-and-coming talent, and heightening awareness among managers while equipping them with the appropriate expertise. The Group is also seeking to increase the proportion of women in leadership positions, with the G&D women’s network enabling women in key roles to instigate and help shape cultural change within the organization. As a global enterprise, the majority of G&D’s employees are based outside the country of its headquarters. The Group is thus especially committed to supporting the cultural diversity of its workforce and incorporates this in its staff development programs.
During Fridays´ discussion experts also confirmed that this type of approach improves a company’s culture, increases its attractiveness to employees, and creates a positive climate of innovation. Among those invited by G&D were representatives from the Fraunhofer IAO institute and from Innoversity Copenhagen, which offers expertise in using diverse teams in innovation processes.
