Mark Peterson, CE
As the operator of New Zealand’s exchange, NZX has a leadership role in encouraging strong corporate governance across the listed markets. We are committed to the importance of setting and reporting diversity policy and objectives by all listed issuers, and we aim to lead by example. Over the next 12 months NZX will advance our ESG reporting to international standards. Reporting our track record in providing equitable opportunities to employees in recruitment and the workforce is highly relevant to today’s investors.
NZX is now seeing the rewards of a journey over recent years to build an inclusive culture, so everyone across our diverse workforce feels they belong. Each year we refresh our Diversity & Inclusion objectives to focus on further progress. Over the next 12 months NZX has committed to expand the lenses through which we recognise and value diversity - beyond gender, age, and ethnicity - to include other factors that influence diverse thinking. We will measure our success in attracting diverse talent in our recruitment pipeline. These analyses drive targeted actions to help us attract and retain today’s talent and leverage the diversity we have to drive growth in our business. We have also recommitted to support youth employment, to build the financial services workforce of tomorrow.
Looking to the next 12 months, we’ll create opportunities to help grow a diverse leadership pipeline and build more diversity in our decision making, capture a deeper understanding of the ethnicity of our workforce, and continue educating our people on why D&I is so important and how they can personally take leadership in this area. In parallel to that, we are refreshing our values and behaviours, developing stronger leadership practices, and deliberately developing the culture we need to nurture to be successful and of course, focusing on this with a Diversity and Inclusion lens and expectations is a key part of that work.”