As an organisation that has a presence in more than 100 countries, with 98% of our employees being local residents in the locations where they work, Citi is one of the most diverse organisations in the world.

We believe that diversity is a strategy for success. Citi values a work environment where diversity is embraced, where employees are promoted on their merits and where people treat each other with mutual respect and dignity.

As part of our commitment, Citi in Australia & NZ has Diversity Councils which have been established to develop initiatives and implement diversity strategies at a local level.

We hold several forums and mentoring programs, with a particular focus on women. Within the Markets & Banking and Global Wealth Management businesses, these include our Lunch and Learn series, offering short development programs to support women's professional development. We continue to sponsor and participate in the NSW Women in Finance "Mentoring for Success" program. We also actively support university mentoring programs and campus recruitment efforts for women to consider careers within the investment banking industry.

We have a flexible work strategy that enables employees and managers to consider work schedules that are different and an alternative to regular business hours and locations. Almost half our employee population has remote access, which allows them to integrate work and personal life, whilst contributing to the success of our business. Citi has a corporate childcare centre for children of our Sydney employees.

Our achievements in embracing diversity have been recognised. These include the "Employer of Choice for Women" citation by the Federal Government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) and as a finalist in the 2005 EOWA Business Achievement Awards for the category of "Outstanding EEO Practice for the Advancement and Achievement of Women".