Thomson Reuters Launches Inaugural Change Makers Initiative in Japan to Promote Gender Diversity in The Legal Profession

TOKYO, Nov. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomson Reuters is launching Change Makers Japan as part of its global diversity initiative. Change Makers Japan brings together key business leaders to make commitments and take action towards improving the gender balance at the top of organisation. The launch event will be held on 27 November 2019, at Grand Hyatt Tokyo.

Launch of Change Makers Japan: Promoting gender diversity in the legal profession

Diversity in the workforce is no longer a nice to have. It is an essential business practice that helps ensure competitiveness and longevity in a time of rapid change. However, a recent gender diversity survey conducted by Acritas found that despite high performance, the gender ratio skews towards men when it comes to leadership positions within law firms, with a 51% drop-off rate between junior associate and equity partner. This declining trend contradicts what has been observed from the business services side.

The survey reveals the current state of women lawyers across the Asia-Pacific region. Results of the survey will be presented at the event to kick off discussion on the underlying causes of observed trends. Also on the agenda are recommended solutions derived from the APAC research, and how they can be applied to the context of Japan to move the needle forward in gender diversity.

To explore the best ways to improve gender equality in the legal profession, the event also brings together a panel of leading lawyers from companies and law firms across the region, including lawyers sitting on the Thomson Reuters Change Makers Advisory Board.

On the panel:

• Reiko Sakimura (Clifford Chance, Co-Managing Partner)
• Yoko Oshima (GE Japan, General Counsel)
• Alice Graham (Microsoft, Assistant General Counsel)
• Tony Andriotis (Quinn Emmanuel, Partner)
• Akiko Yamakawa (Vanguard Tokyo, Partner)

Thomson Reuters

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For more information about the event, please contact:
Maiko.Oda@thomsonreuters.com

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