2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report

2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report

Diversity at Synovus
Synovus is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all team members and communities we serve feel respected and valued. As we continue to grow and help our clients meet their full potential, we recognize diversity as a broad collection of differences that embraces varying dimensions to include, but not limited to beliefs, race, work styles, age, education, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical ability, and status as a protected veteran. Our culture of inclusiveness allows us to succeed. And we’re proud our team members have consistently demonstrated their dedication to leadership development, employee resource group initiatives and community outreach across our markets.

In our most recent team member engagement survey, team members acknowledged our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The DEI category, consisting of five statements, saw a significant 9-point increase. Specifically, Synovus received a 91% favorability score when we asked team members how they felt about our commitment to DEI and the support they receive from their manager. This positive feedback demonstrates our team members recognize the value we place on diversity and inclusion at Synovus.

While we’re proud of our progress so far, we acknowledge there is still work to do. We’ll continue to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.

Our Mission
Our DEI mission is to influence our company’s collaborative and inclusive culture by cultivating a workplace where team members feel highly valued, empowered, and comfortable bringing their ideas, voices and full selves to the workplace.

---

Leadership

Synovus Board Diversity
The composition of the Synovus board of directors ended 2023 with 36% women and 36% people of color.

Synovus Executive Leadership Diversity
Of the 16 executives who comprise the Synovus executive leadership team, 50% of those leaders are women, and 13% are people of color.

Synovus Senior Leadership Diversity
Representation of women and people of color in senior leadership roles have improved over the last six years, with women representing 39% and people of color representing 18% of senior leadership at the end of 2023.

---

Talent Progress

We remain focused on building strong, diverse talent pipelines for opportunities across the company through campus efforts and partnerships with organizations.

Accelerated Banker
Our Accelerated Banker and Internship programs prepare future leaders for careers within the bank. We prioritize attracting, developing and retaining team members for these critical programs as this is one of our pipelines for talent.

Youth Entrepreneurship by Synovus (YES)
In 2023, we expanded YES to include Alabama State University. We launched the program in 2022 at Benedict College as a weeklong financial education and entrepreneurship program for high school students in conjunction with Upward Bound. Since the program’s inception, more than 60 high school students graduated with knowledge about how to start a business, the significance of good credit and how to manage funds to bring business ideas to their communities.

Career Symposium
Our talent acquisition team hosts an annual career symposium as part of our campus recruitment efforts. The symposium helps us deepen relationships with universities and campus organizations across our markets, with an emphasis on historically Black colleges and universities.

Volunteerism
We are committed to helping others reach their full potential by engaging with people through colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations and service-oriented entities. Our team members continue to make an impact in our communities, using their financial expertise and experiences to help shape careers. For example, working with a non-profit is our continued partnership with Junior Achievement allows us to share our expertise and support financial education throughout the year. Through our campus engagement efforts across our footprint, we provide interview skill advice, counsel on resume writing and opportunities to learn about career paths. Additionally, the team participated with the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce by hosting a table for Local Opportunities for Today and Tomorrow (LOTT) where representatives spoke about career options to more than 2,500 students.

---

Continued Progress

By continuing to lay a solid foundation and build on our values, we’re creating a learning environment where DEI is embedded in our culture.

Learning and Development
Synovus leaders are expected to build inclusive, high-performing teams. This is built into Synovus Leadership Expectations, a performance goal for all leaders and team members. In addition, our leadership and new hire programs include unconscious bias and/or DEI modules.

Employee Resource Groups
Our five employee resource groups are team member-driven and open to everyone in the company. ERGs are an integral part of our recruiting and retention strategies. They also focus on team member engagement, professional development, community outreach education and nurturing a sense of belonging. In addition to the contributions of ERGs, we provided virtual forums and materials to build awareness on neurodiversity as a part of our commitment to having an inclusive workplace where all team members can reach their full potential.

Our employee resource groups include:

• African American
• Aquí Nos - Hispanic/Latino
• Prism - LGBTQ+
• Veterans
• Women Inspiring Success & Empowerment (WISE)

Supporting Community

• African American ERG members volunteered with various community organizations such as Meals on Wheels, United Way, Habitat for Humanity and House of Heroes. They also led financial education workshops for schools and nonprofits.


• Aquí Nos ERG members were intentional about delivering financial education workshops in English and Spanish to enable people to reach their full potential. They also partnered with Junior Achievement to educate young people on making informed financial decisions for their future success.


• Prism ERG members volunteered with Lost-N-Found Youth, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides services to LGBTQ+ experiencing homelessness. They engaged team members by collecting and donating clothes and toiletries to support the nonprofit’s mission to end homelessness for LGBTQ+ youth.


• Veterans ERG members volunteered with House of Heroes to complete home improvements for disabled veterans in Columbus, Georgia. They consistently assisted in home renovations to ensure their fellow former service men and women live in safe and secure homes.


• W.I.S.E. members focused on uplifting a younger generation through Girls Inc., a nonprofit that encourages girls to be “Strong, Smart, and Bold.” Each month, W.I.S.E. Cares gave an Impact Award to celebrate a member for the ways they impacted their community and raised awareness for community involvement. In addition to Girls Inc., W.I.S.E. volunteered with Harbor Dish in Safety Harbor, Florida, and Habitat for Humanity in Atlanta, Georgia.

Growing Business Relationships

Our Veterans ERG partnered with our marketing team to organize Journeys to Inspire – Conversations with Leaders. This leadership series featured retired Admiral William McRaven and helped Synovus connect with, grow and strengthen client relationships across our markets. This partnership was a significant milestone for our ERGs, demonstrating their ability to actively influence and contribute to business strategy.

Awards

• Great Place to Work-Certified Company, recognized as one of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Top Workplaces in Atlanta and named one of America’s Best Banks by Forbes.
• Brandon Hall Excellence Awards – a Silver award for the Best Development Program for Frontline leaders for Ignite, a Silver award for Best Advance in Senior Manager Development for Catalyst and a Gold award for Best Unique or Innovative Learning and Development Program for Customer Care Heroes in Training.
• American Banker Most Powerful Women to Watch and Most Powerful Women in Banking: Next 2023.
• Recognized as a Gallant Corporation by Gallant Few for providing specialized assistance and support to veterans and those transitioning to the company from military service.

As we continue our DEI journey, we’re committed to sustaining an inclusive and diverse environment that appreciates the individuality of all our team members and leverages these differences as an essential strategy to support our long-term success.