To be successful in the long term, we must have the right mix of skills and talents. Diversity is therefore anchored in our Values and Beliefs. By diversity we mean an open, prejudice-free culture in which employees can develop their potential and contribute their individual talents.

We believe that everyone should work in an open environment where differences are valued. Deutsche Bank is a founding member and signatory of the Charta der Vielfalt in Germany, Charter de la Diversidad in Spain, and the Charte de la Diversité in Luxembourg, which illustrates our commitment to a corporate culture based on mutual respect. Guelabatin Sun, Managing Director, emphasizes the significance of diversity for global companies: "When diverse ideas are combined, they multiply to create even better ideas - this is what makes a diverse workforce so valuable to our business. And this is what makes it critical that diversity is embedded in every aspect of the employee lifecycle."

Communication is particularly important. We celebrate a global diversity week week every year – the focus in 2015 was about “Diversity is our strength – Maximising business performance”. Employees in 35 countries from around the world took part in more than 350 events and activities from November 16 to 20.

In a video message to staff in the lead-up to the week’s events, John Cryan, Chief Executive Officer, explained the important role that diversity plays in creating a better Deutsche Bank. “Only by building teams of people with different backgrounds, education, skills and experiences can we create value across the Bank,” emphasised Cryan in the video. “I want us to nurture inclusive environments where we welcome different ways of thinking about our challenges,” he added.

In 2013, we launched Diversity Strategy 2.0 to encourage and develop a more inclusive and diverse culture and organization through concentrating on five key elements.

Cultural and social diversity are the norm at Deutsche Bank because of our global presence. Our corporate culture is built on diversity principles that allow our staff to deploy their talents in an optimal way and to fully exploit their potential – irrespective of age, gender, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or physical capabilities. Our hiring policies require that all job applications must be considered regardless of those aspects.

We have introduced global diversity guidelines to guarantee that this culture is put into practice. We have set up Diversity Councils in many regions, through which senior managers ensure adherence to the guidelines and achieve a diverse and balanced workforce. They pay special attention to opportunities for employees and tackling barriers to change. In collaboration with employee networks – such as the dbPride Network – the Councils seek to guarantee that all employees are able to develop their individual talents.

• Requirement for differentiated, company-specific targets; regular reporting on goals, measures, and results
• Ensuring equality of opportunity in hiring and career development in order to promote women’s careers
• Measures to heighten awareness and improve qualifications of senior managers; targeted career planning for women
• Organisation of flexible working hours and further improvement of the compatibility of family life and work for parents
• Advancing professional interests of women and men in MINT subjects (mathematics, information technology, natural sciences, technology)