On the journey to create a workplace and brand where people feel they belong, our dream and commitment are never-ending

Interview: Yamaha Group HR members

Yamaha Group has approximately 20,000 employees in more than 30 countries around the world, across various entities including factories, sales offices, stores and artist services. To grow sustainably as a global company, we strive to maximize the potential of our diverse workforce by fostering a working environment and culture where people respect each other and can take on challenges together.

Towards this goal, Yamaha Group HR members around the world are leading changes at the global and local level, and one of these changes focuses on embedding diversity, equity & inclusion deeply into the organization. In these interviews, they share their journeys, and their vision for the future.

Ankita Batra, Yamaha Music Gulf FZE

“One of the most impactful initiatives was an internal event which encouraged groups across the business from various cultural backgrounds to make music together, either by playing an instrument or singing. I received lots of positive feedback about the cooperation between teams and positive energy created, which fostered an openness to others, improved communication and synergy.”

It embodies how Yamaha, as a sound and music company, puts into practice its corporate philosophy of Sharing Passion and Performance with our employees and enables Make Waves moments where music brings people together beyond their differences.

Her vision is to share this multicultural approach with the wider Yamaha Group, and to help enable colleagues around the world to connect, inspire, and grow together.

Alexander Weckler, Yamaha Music Europe GmbH

“In this environment, Yamaha has always been a company open to all, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation or culture. Respect for the diversity of people has always been the foundation, and providing opportunities for everyone to take on challenges is an important mission for me.”

This includes support for employees who changed lifestyle due to the pandemic, and the restructuring of job roles such as offering part-time management positions or sharing/splitting positions between part-time workers. German employee representative organisation The Works Council has formed a DE&I working group to promote DE&I among colleagues. At the same time, Alexander and his team nominate one staff member in each major branch to be a diversity & inclusion officer, who works closely together with HR to take proactive action at a local level. This comprehensive structure has been built into the Yamaha Music Europe HR medium-term plan and has gained the support of employees, and positive feedback that Yamaha is moving in the right direction.

By tapping the potential of talented employees even more, Alexander aims to contribute to the growth of the company as well as to supporting the personal and private development of each individual.

Ayako Ohta, Yamaha Corporation

“Making such changes is not always easy. In approaching established systems and organizational structures, I have sometimes faced conservative opinions and difficult debates about who should be prioritized.”

In such a challenging context, what motivated Ayako was the belief that everyone can be a majority and a minority, and that the most important thing in creating a better society is for everyone to make the most of their intelligence and imagination.

“If people can feel that Yamaha supports and embraces all, then the impact of even small steps can be a driving force to enable bigger changes. I would describe this process as creative.”

Ultimately, in an ideal world, Ayako hopes that what she is now working on will no longer be needed. Her mission is to impact the way people see the world, and in a future where that has been accomplished, DE&I will be natural.

Tracy Bargielski, Yamaha Corporation of America

“What we have learned is that diversity without inclusion does not have a lasting impact. For this reason, we are focusing our efforts on embedding Inclusion into daily action. One of the ways we have done this is through the Core Behaviour Competencies. These are expected behaviours and employees are rated on them 90 days after joining Yamaha as well as annually. These are aligned with an inclusive behaviour model and are also part of the company's promotion and success planning processes.”

Tracy is convinced that proper DE&I is the result of myriad small actions and changes to our daily behavior. As a journey of continuous improvement, these mini impacts together create real change.

Thais Oliveira, Yamaha Musical do Brasil Ltda.

“Through these bottom-up initiatives, I feel that the company and its DE&I vision have changed. For example, I was the first female manager in Brazil 6 years ago, but now more than 30% of the leadership here is composed of women, and more are following. Next March, we will launch a local DE&I Journey - called "Equalize" - tied to the Yamaha Philosophy, to have all employees onboarded from the moment they join the team. Growing the awareness of our team is a key part of the YMDB Mid-Term Plan and we believe these initiatives strengthen our commitment as employees and as a company to ensure that respect and embracing of others are valued as essential.”

Her goal is to see Yamaha recognized as a brand that embraces everyone internally and externally, by sustaining and strengthening this virtuous cycle of engagement for employees and customers.

Yukiko Ohara, Yamaha Corporation

“By leading these initiatives, I have found that a number of my colleagues were intensifying their commitment to this topic around the world. Some are taking action for empowerment and equality in the music industry, and others are taking action to maximize the potential of their Yamaha colleagues. I am always inspired by and appreciate that passion.”

At the same time, DE&I became recognized by top management as an important mission for Yamaha Group, and highlighted in the new medium-term management plan ‘Make Waves 2.0’. This is testament that the company hears the voice of people. She takes the fact that DE&I has been given a continued place in her assignments across brand and HR as a credible sign that the company is committed to change.

“My dream is to drive this positive change further with a global team and make Yamaha an even better place to empower colleagues, customers, artists, music makers, sound engineers and all people around the world to Make Waves.”