German Diversity Day 2026

• "When diversity wins, everybody wins" is the motto of the 14th German Diversity Day (DDT 26), which will take place across Germany on 19 May 2026.
• Commerzbank brought the motto to life by hosting the Institute for Diversity Management’s "Diversity Parkour" in the plaza of the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt for one week.
• In a roughly 30 minute round with five stations, around 400 participants explored their own diversity and the "mental pigeonholes" in their minds, while also receiving plenty of background information and inspiration for a more reflective approach to diversity in their day-to-day work.
• The Diversity Parkour helps participants deepen their understanding of diversity, question their own prejudices and build networks beyond familiar boundaries.

Recognising one’s own diversity, questioning prejudices

The Diversity Parkour invited numerous employees to become more aware of their own diversity and to reflect on unconscious thought patterns. Fiona Briscoe, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Health Management, explains: "By definition, diversity is part of every person. What is important is that we make ourselves aware of this in our everyday lives and extend to others the openness we wish for ourselves. Especially in view of our strategic initiatives and the increasingly international context, open-mindedness and impartiality are key success factors for high-performing teams."

The stations

The aim of the parkour’s five stations was to identify and actively question the "mental pigeonholes" in our heads. In other words, it focused on making unconscious biases, clichés and stereotypes visible and providing background information on various dimensions of diversity. In doing so, they encouraged self-reflection.

The parkour was opened by Matthias Füssel, Divisional Board Member Group Human Resources; Fiona Briscoe, Head of Diversity & Health Management; and Cawa Younosi, Managing Director of the Charta der Vielfalt. In their welcome remarks, all three emphasised the importance of diversity as an integral part of the corporate culture.

Visitors were able to take part in guided tours of the Diversity Parkour. In addition, the parkour was open to all employees for individual exploration. This enabled many colleagues, as well as visitors to the high-rise building, to take advantage of the offering and integrate it flexibly into their working day.

Staying future-proof and resilient through diversity

"We live in a time of growing tensions, polarisation and simplistic slogans. That is precisely why we must not only talk about diversity & inclusion, but actively promote and embody it," says Fiona Briscoe. "A company that embraces diversity strengthens its stability, innovative capacity and competitiveness. Diversity provides us with a broader range of perspectives, helps us make better decisions and enables us, as a bank, to remain future-proof and resilient."

The Diversity Parkour for German Diversity Day 2026 has remarkably demonstrated that we live diversity 365 days a year and make it a tangible part of our day-to-day work.