Nikko Asset Management established the CSR Department on November 1, 2006. In response to escalating social demands, even in asset management companies, for proactive efforts in support of the sustainability of the global environment and society, we have laid the foundations for a system to make real and ongoing efforts to deal with our corporate social responsibilities. At the vanguard as the first Japanese firm to begin managing SRI (Socially Responsible Investment) funds, in deed as well as in name, we have set out to be a leading company in CSR.
Nikko Asset Management has adopted the above Guidelines as a member of Nikko Cordial Group.
Nikko Cordial Group Guidelines for Putting CSR into Practice
- Corporate Governance - Respect and comply with laws and social norms and act in accordance with the Management Principle
- Putting CSR into Practice in Our Main Business - Respond to the trust of the people who support the Group, and provide quality services in our main business
- Consideration for Stakeholders - Be aware that the Group is a part of society, and work to promote the development of capital markets and to create new business opportunities
Corporate Governance
Since October 2003, we have put in place several corporate governance policies to enhance our management independence.
As an asset management company entrusted with customers' precious assets, we recognize our duty to comply with international corporate governance standards to prevent violations of shareholders rights. In 2002, we established guidelines for the exercise of voting rights for shareholders in companies in which we invest, and update them as necessary. As individual and institutional investors grow ever more aware of shareholder-focused corporate management, Nikko Asset Management must fulfill its fiduciary duties by appropriately exercising the voting rights in the companies in which we invest.
[For further details regarding the Exercise of Voting Rights]
Talent
When we expect the best, we usually get it.
We are only as good as our people and products. To ensure Nikko Asset Management continues to draw the top performers in our industry, we made some key structural changes.
A culture that rewards excellence.
We instilled a merit-based culture, an often underdeveloped concept among traditional Japanese companies. We did away with the practice of rotating employees, instead encouraging the pursuit of long-term professional careers. We structured a flatter organization, one better equipped to implement new ideas.
Improving Employee Satisfaction
Nikko Asset Management is serious about employee relations.
Founded on the belief that building a better work environment will improve employee satisfaction and lead to prosperity for the company as a whole, Nikko Asset Management's human resources department maintains a full-time staff dedicated to employee relations.
Through regular employee satisfaction surveys and a suggestion box posted on the employee Intranet page, our employee relations representative ensures employees' voices are appropriately considered in company actions. We also hold regular company events to provide ample opportunity for employee interaction. In June 2005, we established the Employee Relations Working Team (ERWT), made up of volunteer employees. The ERWT's mission is to determine what problems employees are facing and work to find resolutions. Through these efforts, we seek to create an attractive work environment that allows employees to proactively raise their voices and work with a sense of pride.
Women’s Committee has been established. 
Nikko Asset Management believes it is crucial to develop a work environment in which all employees, regardless of nationality, gender, age, or employment status, can reach their full potential. We are serious about fully utilizing women's perspectives in our business. To that end, in September 2005 we became the first major Japanese financial institution to bring in a female external director. Our Women's Committee was formed in August 2006 to support the continued success of our female employees. Members hold regular meetings to exchange information and plan events to support women in their careers, such as our recent seminar on work-life-balance career development.
Nikko AM
