On 17 July, Ms. Mia Zheng, Partner (China) at WeCarbon and ESG Affairs Representative of Shanghai Climate Week, attended the 2025 Bloomberg Green Finance "Caring Workplace" Symposium and List Launch, themed on putting "diversity, equity and inclusion" into practice and advancing sustainable talent development. She moderated the roundtable "Building Core Competitiveness for Going Global: Cross-Cultural Talent Management".
Launched by Bloomberg Green Finance, the "Caring Workplace" list focuses on the social (S) dimension of ESG. It assesses companies on three core pillars: what they actually do on the social dimension of ESG; how they measure up against selected criteria of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI); and whether they meet the requirements of the Labour Law, the Labour Contract Law and relevant local labour regulations. The assessment uses 42 quantitative indicators and 4 fact checks, covering diversity indicators such as workforce composition and recruitment policies; equity indicators such as pay structures, promotion mechanisms and work-life balance; inclusion indicators such as workplace culture and employee support programmes; and social responsibility indicators such as community contribution and supply chain management. The list gives companies credible recognition of their social responsibility and, by encouraging inclusive workplaces, helps them attract talent and build long-term competitiveness, serving as a benchmark assessment that brings business value and social value together.
The "Caring Workplace" Symposium and List Launch
In the roundtable, Ms. Mia Zheng held a lively discussion with Ms. Tong Xinshi, Managing Director, Greater China, Bloomberg Green Finance; Ms. Wu Yan, People & Culture Director, China, Ingka Centres; and Mr. Wang Jiacheng, Head of Corporate Culture for Overseas Regions, Smart Electric business group, CHINT Group. The discussion covered three core topics: cultural differences, innovation and localised management. The speakers looked at the challenges that cultural differences bring, analysing the practical issues companies face with a diverse workforce as they globalise and expand overseas, such as differing codes of conduct and clashing values, and their deep impact on teamwork and business delivery. On how cultural diversity can spark innovation, the speakers agreed that cultural differences can push companies to build more transparent systems and ways of working together, and that inclusive mechanisms and stronger cross-cultural communication can turn diversity into a core engine of team creativity. On balancing global and local approaches to talent management, they shared how to build management frameworks that keep a brand's core values consistent while adapting flexibly to regional markets, offering valuable practical insights for companies going global.
Ms. Mia Zheng in conversation with the speakers at the roundtable "Building Core Competitiveness for Going Global: Cross-Cultural Talent Management"
Through its in-depth discussion of cross-cultural management, the "Caring Workplace" Symposium and List Launch offered companies practical ways to balance innovation and localisation in meeting the challenges of globalisation, helping them turn the principles of "diversity, equity and inclusion" into core drivers of talent development and business value.