2026 International Women's Day Activity Report:
Engineering a Culture of Belonging at TDK
Innovation Through Inclusion
At TDK, we believe that technology is never neutral; it reflects the perspectives, experiences, and varied backgrounds of the people who build it. This International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, we refocused our energy on Inclusive Leadership, not as a corporate title, but as a fundamental way of thinking that allows every member of our global team to demonstrate their full potential.
This journey honors the legacy of those who first championed professional excellence over a century ago. At TDK, we recognize that our progress in the high-stakes sectors of technology and innovation is built on the specialized contributions our multifaceted workforce makes every day. This milestone is more than a date on the calendar; it is a formal acknowledgment of the cultural and economic impact women make across our industry.
Leadership Perspective: Accelerating "TDK Transformation"
President & CEO Noboru Saito has made it clear that the true power of innovation lies in our "people." As we navigate the "TDK Transformation," we are moving beyond traditional structures toward a deeper sense of belonging. “Inclusive Leadership” is our core theme at TDK for 2026 and beyond, creating a culture where every individual can have the confidence to challenge the status quo.
"Empowering women is not just a social responsibility," President Saito stated. "It is a critical component of our strategic engine for growth." He invites every member of the TDK family to model inclusive behavior and begin their own personal journey of allyship.
Advice from the Front Lines of Technology
Our IWD 2026 events brought together female leaders from across TDK, with open conversations, personal reflections, and practical insights on leadership and inclusion. They shared honest reflections on their careers, the challenges they faced, the risks they took, and the lessons they learned along the way, with a clear message for the next generation of women in tech:
- Trust Yourself: Stop doubting, you already have what it takes.
- Take Space: Don't wait for permission to lead.
- Own Your Voice: What you think matters. Say it out loud.
- The message is simple: Real change starts when we trust ourselves, take space, speak up, and build a culture that supports it.
Bridging High Tech & Human Emotion
As we navigate the "Silicon Age" and the rapid advancement of AI, we are focusing on what remains uniquely human. This year in Europe, our internal IWD activities on “Inclusive Leadership & Supportive Team Culture” featured a keynote by business psychologist Laura Prinz. In her talk on the theme "High Tech & High Touch," she reminded us that as machines take over analytical tasks, emotional intelligence and empathy become our most valuable leadership tools for fostering and strengthening team culture.
Fostering a human-centered workplace requires us to balance technical innovation with genuine connection. In this field, the leadership and diverse perspectives of our female workforce are essential. Their voices provide the necessary bridge between technical data and human intuition, ensuring that as our tools evolve, our culture remains rooted in empathy and collaboration. By bringing these strengths to the forefront, we aren't just building better tech; we are building a more inclusive way to work.
Uncomfortable Truths and Practical Allyship
True inclusion requires us to look at the "human strength" of our organization. In Japan, this meant hosting events such as the "menstrual pain experience" to build empathy for the physical realities that women navigate in their daily lives at work. In other regions, teams organized healthcare and wellness support events to promote well-being and foster open conversations about physical and mental health. In our service divisions, it meant adopting new behavioral standards, such as listening to the end of a conversation, respecting differing values, and making a concerted effort to hear those who speak quietly.
Our Global Commitment: The TDK Group in Action
Transformation is not a top-down mandate; it is a collective movement involving every TDK Group entity. This year’s global celebrations featured a wide array of initiatives designed to turn the philosophy of inclusion into everyday action:
- Voices of Empowerment (Europe): A group of TDK colleagues shared honest reflections on the risks they took and the lessons they learned throughout their own careers. Their advice to women entering the technology field today was a powerful blueprint for success: “Trust yourself, Take space, and Own your voice!”
- The High-Performance Edge (Europe): We featured an exclusive interview with Gabriela Jílková from the Porsche Formula E Team, for whom TDK is a proud technology partner. She spoke on the vital importance of supportive team environments in the high-pressure world of motorsports.
- The Service Mindset (Japan): A Talk Session with President & CEO Noboru Saito and Outside Director Toru Katsumoto on the theme: Inclusive leadership alongside workshops on psychological safety. Leaders are sharing candid reflections on behavioral guidelines, emphasizing that “Inclusive Leadership” belongs to everyone, not just those in management.
- Global Perspectives (China, ASEAN, India, and Korea): From leadership interviews shared across China, to the "Best Moments" commemorative booklet created by ASEAN,India, and Korea, we are weaving a global tapestry of belonging. The initiatives also featured a lecture in China on women's health, focusing on hormones and emotional well-being.
- A Unified Front: Across all regions, including the Americas, TDK Group activities focused on site-specific workshops and engagement that reinforce our commitment to a workplace free of bias and stereotypes.
Watch the Interview with Gabriela Jílková, Porsche E Team Development Driver.
The Journey Starts with You
Empowering our women and all our team members is the strategic engine driving TDK’s growth for the next century. We acknowledge that we still have a long way to go to achieve true gender equality in leadership. However, we are not just waiting for the future; we are engineering it.
We invite you to join us on this advocacy journey by reflecting on how you can model “Inclusive Leadership” in your everyday work. Progress is not built on one-time events, but on the accumulation of daily acts of allyship.
Take a look at more highlights images from our IWD event around the globe.
