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Talent Development and Capability Building

Talent Development and Capability Building

Basic Concept

Based on the belief that the growth of each Mizuno employee leads to the sustainable growth of the Mizuno Group and ultimately to the realization of our purpose, vision, and values, we are committed to human resource development.
Each employee is expected to autonomously strive for personal and professional development and to demonstrate the results of these efforts in their daily work activities, thereby creating a sense of fulfillment. The Company supports the growth of each employee and encourages them to create their own growth plans through long-term, continuous, and systematic training.
Additionally, human resource development and training are regarded as essential responsibilities of management. Managers are expected to continuously and systematically develop the abilities and skills of their team members.

Human Resource Development Initiatives

Mizuno will support the autonomous and continuous growth of individual employees through four learning environments (company-wide education that fosters shared values and awareness based on the Purpose, Vision, and Values; level-specific human resource development that helps employees understand the roles and missions expected at each level and develop the ability to execute business plans; purpose-specific human resource development that cultivates the next generation of leaders in alignment with the Company’s medium-term strategy; and self-directed learning support that helps employees independently acquire the knowledge, skills, and mindset required of business professionals).

Provision of Learning Environments

	Details	Number of Participants in FY2025
Philosophy (Corporate DNA) Education	Based on “Purpose (Corporate Philosophy), Vision (Ideal Future), and Values (Core Beliefs),” this program promotes global understanding and sharing of Mizunoʼs corporate DNA.	Approx. 3,500[*a]
Company-wide education	Each department conducts its own training according to the necessary educational context to understand and share information on brand, corporate DNA, compliance, whistleblowing, sustainability, IT literacy, quality control, etc.	Approx. 3,000[*b]
Level-Specific Education	Provides foundational skills and competencies required at each organizational level. New Employee Training 53 3rd-Year Career Training 40 1st-Year Sales Training 23 2nd-Year Sales Training 22 3rd-Year Sales Training 20 Promotion Training (C3/C4) 46 Assistant Manager Training 18 Manager Training 14 Department Head Training 6 Management Training 207 Evaluator Training 147	596[*d]
Purpose-Specific Education	Develops specialized skills to address specific business challenges. Business Leader Program 20 DX Leader Program 257 Marketing Training 32	309[*d]
Self-Directed Learning Support	Actively supports employees who take initiative in learning (e.g., English, Chinese, business skills, etc.).	Approx. 200[*d]

Programs That Support Employee Challenges

Internal Job Posting Program[*d]
Details	Under this program, interested employees apply directly for positions posted by departments within the Company and, if selected through the screening process, are transferred to those positions. The program encourages each employee to take on new challenges, promotes proactive career development and growth, and helps drive growth throughout the Company by improving employee engagement. Through this program, Mizuno aims to revitalize the organization and sustainably enhance corporate value. (The program has been introduced in phases since FY2025.)
Results	FY2025: 3 employees
Technical Job Meister/Craft System [e]^1
Details	To help employees grow into talented craftsmen, activate employees performing technical jobs, help technical workers improve their skills, and pass on the great skills of technical workers to future generations, Mizuno awards the titles of “meister” and “craft” to employees who have great craftmanship and grant them an allowance.
Results	FY2025—Baseball: 5 employees; golf: 5 employees; apparel: 3 employees
Employee Invention Reward System [b]^2
Details	The employee invention reward system aims to stimulate employees to continually come up with innovative and unique product development ideas. The system complies with patent law and aims to stimulate employees to actively put effort into coming up with inventions by properly evaluating work-related inventions made by employees (employee inventions) and granting rewards. There is no upper limit to the amount of reward that could be granted, and the amount is based on the level of contribution the inventor and invention makes to the Companyʼs sales.
Results	FY2025: 9 (25 inventors; excluding employees who have retired)
Overseas Training and Work System [*d]
Details	The overseas training and work system aims to help employees acquire specialized knowledge and skills relating to their job by working overseas, and simultaneously broaden the horizons of young employees, cultivating core personnel for overseas expansion. The provision of on-the-job training (OJT) and problem identification and resolution programs are carried out at overseas business locations throughout the dispatch period. The place of work is determined based on individual's wishes, career, and personnel planning, among Mizuno.s overseas branches or subsidiaries, and employees will engage in work abroad for one year.
Results	FY2025: 5 employees dispatched
Online English and Chinese Language Learning Support System [*d]
Details	This system aims to support employees in their self-improvement efforts to enhance their English and Chinese conversational skills. Employees receive lessons from foreign instructors online, and the company covers half of the tuition fees based on the attendance rate.
Results	FY2025: 105 employees
System for Helping Employees Take Online Video-Based, Business-Related Lessons [*d]
Details	The system aims to help employees improve their knowledge related to business and also create an environment that encourages willingly learning about business. Employees will be able create an environment that will allow them to view business-related videos wherever they are whenever they want to online, and to encourage employees to willingly learn about business, the Company will pay the fees needed to do so.
Results	FY2025: 119 employees

*1 The data given above was gathered from Mizuno Corporation and Mizuno Technics.

*2 The data given above was gathered from Mizuno Corporation and a number of Mizuno Group subsidiaries in Japan.

Awards and Incentives

●Sales of the Year

Mizuno positions its sales representatives as professionals responsible for creating value to help customers resolve their challenges.
Each year, Mizuno recognizes individuals who achieve outstanding results through their sales activities with its “Sales of the Year (SOY)” award.
This award is based on a comprehensive evaluation of not only results such as sales and profit, but also sales processes, including proposals grounded in customer challenges, collaboration with relevant parties, and approaches that lead to ongoing value creation.
By sharing outstanding examples Company-wide, Mizuno works to raise the overall level of its sales capabilities and promote the rollout of replicable practices, while also enhancing employee motivation and supporting growth throughout the organization. In FY2025, four individuals were recognized as SOY recipients.

●Mizuno Award System

To motivate employees to work harder and help them grow, employees who produce good results any given year and thereby contribute to the growth of the Company are given awards at the Founding Effort Commemorative Ceremony. In FY2025, awards were given to 181 projects (344 employees).

System for Evaluating Employees Fairly

Mizuno has implemented a human resources evaluation system that is not based on age or length of service. Instead, evaluations are conducted based on three key criteria: the ability demonstrated through daily actions, the roles played, and the level of contribution to the companyʼs performance. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of each employeeʼs abilities and aptitudes, Mizuno introduced a human resources assessment system in FY2017. This system enables multi-dimensional evaluation and supports more effective talent development. During the evaluation period, supervisors and subordinates hold mid-term one-on-one meetings to review progress, make necessary adjustments, and reach mutual agreement. This process enhances the transparency and acceptance of evaluations.

Future Challenges

Mizuno has positioned “career autonomy,” under which each employee takes ownership of their career, determines the direction of their own growth, and acts accordingly, as a key pillar of its talent strategy, and is working to maximize the value of its human capital.
We support employees’ medium- to long-term growth through career planning training tailored to different age groups and career development meetings, while also providing our Internal Job Posting Program, cross-departmental projects, and opportunities to take on the challenge of creating new businesses.
Through these initiatives, we will foster a culture in which employees reassess for themselves the meaning and value of their work and proactively learn and take on challenges. It will thereby seek to enhance employee engagement and harness organizational vitality to sustainably enhance corporate value.