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Company: Mizuho Americas, New York, NY
Company Description: Mizuho Americas is a leading provider of a broad range of financial services, including corporate and investment banking, lending, custody, treasury services, research and capital markets solutions. With professionals across the U.S., Canada, and Latin and South America, Mizuho Americas supports corporate clients, institutional investors, and public sector organizations.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications Team of the Year
 Nomination Title: COVID-19 and WFH Communications: Staying Informed and Engaged While Remote
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated team since January 1 2020, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated communications team: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
The three Japanese banks that formed Mizuho Financial Group in 2003 had US subsidiaries for decades. But the establishment of the Mizuho Americas holding company in 2016 brought together the multiple domestic entities as part of an effort to further invest in and grow its regional presence. Mizuho Americas aligned its businesses, eliminated legacy silos, and evolved into a US-style Corporate and Investment Bank to quickly gain market share in areas it once had little or no presence.
Chief Communications & Marketing Officer Cheryl Gilberg was recruited from Goldman Sachs in 2015 to build the team that would refocus the brand Forbes once dubbed “Mizu-Who?” She built Corporate Communications and Marketing (CCM) from one-person, to an in-house, full-service, multi-media creativity and content resource of 16+ professionals.
CCM encompasses Brand Management & Creative Services, Digital Marketing & Social Media, Media Relations & Internal Communications, and Corporate Sponsorships & Events. It works with the C-suite in driving the strategic positioning of the firm among the big banks it is displacing across various league tables. Working across the global franchise, CCM has become an international center of excellence and support. And Mizuho Americas is a top ten firm across multiple league tables.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the team's achievements since the beginning of 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
In early 2020, a year that would deliver record profits and define Mizuho Americas’ arrival as an up-and-coming financial services leader, management turned to CCM. Keeping employees connected to the mission while a pandemic sent 98% of staff remote, demanded a comprehensive and sustainable internal communications response to help senior management keep the firm engaged, supported, and productive. What followed tapped the full resources of the CCM department, which delivered a comprehensive, multi-media informational and engagement campaign that continues today.
Events: In March 2020, we began holding weekly “Office Hours with Executives” livestreams where our two most-senior executives provided critical information and engage employees firm-wide. The CEO of Mizuho Americas and the Head of our Corporate & Investment Bank lead each livestream, with business heads joining to provide updates as needed. As WFH became the “new normal” and the need for critical updates subsided, livestreams moved to a biweekly and then monthly cadence. We also added speakers covering topics ranging from sleep and nutrition to COVID vaccines to cryptocurrency.
Video: We launched “WFH Challenges” – weekly photo challenges of various themes. The first was “Show Us Your WFH Setup,” followed by workout routines, haircuts, high-school photos, etc. The photos became slideshows with music and captions, played at the start of each Office Hours.
Email: CCM communicated regularly to inform staff of the latest health developments and operational changes, and also sought to connect and lift spirits. While conditions often necessitated serious and straightforward communications, we brought levity when appropriate.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other communications teams in your industry and/or to the nominated team's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 205 words used.
Our multi-asset approach to COVID-19 communications – in particular, our Office Hours events and speaker series, regularly attract 1,500+ viewers, with certain topics garnering 2,500+ viewers (out of approximately 3,000 staff in the Americas). The sustained popularity of our Office Hours events speaks to the continued need for information, as well as the effectiveness of the format, whereby employees from our offices across the Americas can hear directly from executives, submit questions, and learn about a variety of interesting subjects. In essence, we have created a venue for both information and entertainment, with overwhelmingly positive employee feedback. Our email campaigns also helped other divisions, namely HR and IT, achieve high completion rates for required action items, such as registering to return to the office or adopting new and improved technologies.
Overall, the CCM group took difficult circumstances and turned them into opportunities, connecting staff throughout the Americas in a way that they had not been prior to the pandemic. Recognizing the lonely nature of remote work and the many uncertainties that the pandemic has wrought, we prioritized creating an enhanced sense of community and keeping staff informed, both as it related to our offices and operations as well as the health situation.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 190 words used.
Attached is an integrated marketing reel showcasing our Office Hours with Executives and Speaker Series livestreams, email communications and fun, work-from-home photo challenges.
A full Office Hours (September 2020) is also linked as an example of our executive communications and WFH challenge presentations. At approximately 8:17 minutes into the video, our President & CEO provides an update on our reintegration timeline, and stresses that on-site presence is voluntary. At approx. 10:10 minutes, a list of past Office Hours and Town Halls is shown, along with viewership numbers. The final portion of the video is a Q&A featuring staff questions.
Also attached:
- An invite to one of our Speaker Series with Dr. Bernard Camins, infectious disease expert. He has joined us several times over the course of the pandemic to answer staff questions related to COVID-19, vaccines, and pandemic safety.
- A link to our YouTube page with some of our Speaker Series
- An image showing a few of our fun WFH Challenge themes
- An email announcing our Vaccine Resources Hub, as an example of our COVID-19 communications and efforts to keep staff informed and safe.
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