The combination of diversity, equity and inclusion is a powerful enabler of organizational success. As a global bank with strong roots in Europe, our workforce needs to reflect the diverse clients we serve and the communities we operate in.

Improving diversity, equity and inclusion is a journey and the responsibility of not just our leaders, but everyone at Deutsche Bank. By doing so, we drive positive change for our people and for society at large and contribute to the bank’s Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) strategy.

Our vision ​for a diverse, equitable and inclusive Deutsche Bank.

To drive a successful transformation, we need to bring teams together and leverage different perspectives. We have found that encouraging diverse views and respectful challenge make our teams more effective. This is one reason why we value diversity, equity and inclusion. Rebecca Short, Member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank

To better reflect society and our clients, we have an ambition to increase the number of women and people of all ethnicities in senior, decision-making and client facing roles. We recognize that not everybody starts in the same place. As we develop future leaders, we continue to empower under-represented groups.

We strengthen accountable leadership by using a data driven approach - with strong engagement and visible sponsorship from our senior management we are driving behavioral change and making progress increasing representation from more diverse groups.

At Deutsche Bank we set ourselves gender diversity goals and aim for 35% women in our top ranks by 2025. We are committed to creating a working environment that attracts and retains women.

We are proud to be recognized for our success on this journey: for the fourth year in a row, we have been listed in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women in the UK for taking action to address gender inequality in the workplace. In 2023 the bank’s decision-making committees gained further diversity of thought through establishment of regular review of the level of diversity in committee compositions.

Our '35 by 2025' program is sponsored by our top senior management and comprises 5 impact-oriented key initiatives along the full employee lifecycle:

1. Showcase strong leadership
To create a more gender balanced workforce, a strong tone from the top is essential to broaden understanding and change perceptions. At Deutsche Bank many leaders are visible role models. ’35 by 2025‘ is recognized as a priority by management teams.

2. Hold ourselves accountable
We set ourselves clear milestones and by monitoring relevant metrics regularly, we are able to hold our leadership accountable and quickly course correct where necessary. On the journey to attaining our goal of 35% women in the three most senior corporate titles (Managing Directors, Directors and Vice Presidents), we have exceeded our interim goal and achieved 32.3% at the end of 2023.

With over 150 nationalities across the globe, our employees bring a diversity of perspectives and experience to the organization. Working with some of the most talented people in the financial industry, in an environment that embraces change and recognizes the power of collaboration, every voice contributes to delivering innovative outcomes for our customers.
We believe that everyone can make a difference.

Diverse teams are most productive in an inclusive environment. We continue to equip our people with resources to practice inclusion and understand how to make equitable people-related decisions. Our globally established Communities of DEI Practitioners promote the cross-sectoral exchange of best practice examples and thus increases the accessibility and impact of DEI measures and initiatives. With our global “Everyday Inclusion toolkit” we provide guidance for everyone, regardless of whether they are a leader or a colleague, on how to move intentionally and proactively towards diversity, equity and inclusion. It includes guidance for inclusive hiring and talent development as well as advice on encouraging open conversations.

A name pronunciation tool and preferred personal pronouns option in our global address directory support an inclusive work environment.

We recognize that not everybody starts in the same place. As we develop future leaders, we continue to empower under-represented groups.

• Our “Accomplished Top Leaders Advancement Strategy” (ATLAS) program supports high-performing Managing Director women to take on a broader range of responsibility and realize specific advancement opportunities.
• The Black Opportunity Leadership Development (dbBOLD) program is our investment in the career planning and leadership development of our Black Vice Presidents (VPs) and Directors based in the US and the UK with over 300 participants to date. Read more about the origins and development of the program in the US and the UK. 

Deutsche Bank has been recognized externally for its contribution to advancing equity and inclusion. We have been awarded high scores in the Human Rights Campaign's annual Corporate Equality Index for over 20 years.

For the last two years, we have been awarded Silver Employer in India Workplace Equality Index and Platinum Employer status in the AWEI Australian LGBTIQ Inclusion Awards.

Many of our leaders and employees are recognized on the PROUT Performer and Top 100 LGBTQ+ Future Leaders lists.Our diverse talents were acknowledged as role models such as

• Rebecca Short: Most influential women in European Finance List
• and other leaders and employees listed e.g., on PROUT Performer and Top 100 LGBTQ+ Future Leaders lists.

Strategic partnerships with organizations worldwide actively foster our growth, helping us create an inclusive environment responsive to the current needs of our employees, clients and the communities we work in.