Fostering a culture that embraces diversity from a global perspective: Interview with Eriko Murakami & Kiyoko Kikuchihara

Promoting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) is an active and ongoing effort at UiPath. In 2021, a taskforce named Gender Uniqueness Taskforce (GUT) was formed in Japan to improve the office environment. Through various events, the task force has contributed to creating a company culture where each employee can thrive.

This interview features two central members of GUT: Eriko Murakami (Head of HR Division) and Kiyoko Kikuchihara (Partner Sales Division), who discuss DE&I efforts both in Japan and globally. (Note: Kikuchihara is referred to as "Koko" throughout the article.)

Hosting a global meeting to promote DE&I

Since the 2010s, many companies have incorporated DE&I into their management strategies, actively working to eliminate discrimination based on gender, age, and nationality. Recently, the term DEIB has also emerged—adding "Belonging" (the feeling of having a place to belong) to the existing concept.

In March this year, UiPath held a global meeting for DE&I leaders from various countries to exchange insights. The attendees were leaders from the People Unity Council (PUC), a global taskforce promoting DE&I at UiPath. Over 20 leaders gathered at the New York office, including Murakami and Koko from Japan.

Our corporate vision at UiPath is " "to enable automation across all knowledge work to accelerate human achievement." The PUCs helps to realize this vision by providing a welcoming space in which members, who typically share a common identity, like Women, Pride (LGBTQ), Parents and Caretakers, Neurodiversity, and more , can find community and support. Volunteers actively participate, share insights, celebrate cultural moments, and promote DE&I at UiPath and beyond through events and campaigns.

Murakami commented: “In Japan, DE&I often focuses on women's success and balancing childcare. However, concepts like Neurodiversity still haven’t gained enough recognition—even though companies are being asked to promote employment of people with disabilities. We hope to adopt and advance such forward-thinking practices from the PUC into Japan’s efforts.”

The global activities of the PUC provide Japan’s GUT with invaluable knowledge and best practices. The New York meeting was an important opportunity to learn directly about recent initiatives and gain a wide perspective on global efforts.

Murakami also shared her reflections: “In Japan, we tend to focus on improving local corporate culture, but speaking with overseas members made me realize how they consistently think from a global viewpoint. I was reminded that DE&I stems from this awareness. I was also impressed that UiPath invests in such internal events. The Employee Experience team in HR, which organized the event, includes passionate Romanian members—showcasing our cultural foundation of inclusiveness since its founding.”

A sense of unity despite differences in country and language

The global PUC leadership meeting centered on the three C’s: Culture, Community, and Career. It was a platform not only for company growth, but also for discussing how to better contribute to society. One takeaway was the need to expand from grassroots initiatives to ones with executive sponsorship, making broader internal and external impact.

Koko shared her impressions: “Although we came from different countries and spoke different languages, it never felt like we were ‘different.’ There was a sense of unity, a deep connection that we all felt. Everyone respected individual identities and was passionately committed to DE&I. The interactions were never just businesslike—we genuinely tried to connect. I felt that this was the very culture of UiPath.”

Murakami added that the meeting made future activities in Japan easier to approach: “With initiatives like DE&I, it’s often difficult to take the first step because of the pressure to produce immediate results. But speaking with PUC members taught me that quality of impact is more important than the amount of activity. I want to build on the ideas from the meeting and work with everyone to move forward, clarifying our future goals.”

Similarly, Koko reflected: “I feel a sense of relief now. I used to feel that I had to push myself constantly and take everything on alone. But I’ve started to see how much more effective we can be by collaborating closely with internal resources and the team. Moving forward, I’d like to focus on raising the quality of our efforts without exhausting ourselves. This initiative also supports UiPath’s exciting journey into the world of Agentic Automation, and I’m genuinely excited to collaborate with more UiPathers in a fun and meaningful way to make it happen!”

For more inspiring stories from the UiPath Japan team, visit UiPath Japan blog: https://www.uipath.com/ja/blog/, and if you're interested in joining us, explore open roles on our Careers page: https://www.uipath.com/careers/jobs