2021 ESG Report SOCIAL Supporting Military Employees We are proud of our long history of supporting military veterans. Active military and veteran employees are provided with special ribbons to wear on Veterans Day and any other day of the year. In Cincinnati, the Fifth Third Museum also developed a special three-week exhibit to honor past veteran employees. Our enhanced paid military leave guidelines provide for 20 days of paid military leave per year and provide paid leave for any kind of military service, not just active duty, a distinction many companies do not make. The guidelines were driven by feedback from the Bank’s Military BRG. Joshua Quantz , assistant vice president and HR business partner, was recognized in 2021 by the Cincinnati Bengals as a Hometown Hero. With over 20 years of service, Josh has commanded soldiers at the company and battalion level. He served as director of Army operations and director of strategy and plans. Josh is a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was deployed in support of the Kosovo campaign. He has been honored with a Bronze Star Medal, four meritorious service medals, fve army commendation medals, and was inducted into the Order of Saint George and the Order of Saint Barbara military honor societies. Josh started at Fifth Third in 2019 as a regional security manager. Through the Military BRG, he made connections that enabled him to move into his current role in Human Capital. Josh has been involved with the Military BRG since joining the Bank and, in mid-2020, he became the BRG’s co-chair. “Bringing my leadership skills and drive to support others in their career development is important to me as is helping other veterans on their career path after serving our country.” Contents Multicultural Recruitment Strategy Recruiting and engaging an inclusive and diverse workforce is a top priority. Our multicultural recruitment strategy strengthens the Bank by developing an employee base that refects the communities we serve while also enhancing the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. As such, we have deepened our relationships with traditional colleges as well as more than 20 historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, to strengthen the pipeline of diverse talent. We have invested over $600,000 with HBCUs since 2017 to help prepare high-achieving students—many of them frst generation college students—to excel in the workforce. In 2021, we held the frst Fifth Third Bank virtual HBCU Leadership Conference with the theme of “Realizing the Leader Within.” Over 70 students registered for this inaugural event that featured two days of virtual networking, leadership development and insights into the career journeys of Fifth Third leaders such as Kevin Lavender, head of Commercial Banking, Kala Gibson, chief corporate responsibility ofcer, and Stephanie Smith, chief inclusion and diversity ofcer. Our investment includes providing over 500 service hours of skills coaching and delivering our Fifth Third fnancial empowerment programs to help reduce student debt. In recent years, students have been recruited from nine HBCUs: Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M University, Johnson C. Smith University, Wilberforce Introduction Economic Environment Social Governance Danielle Jones, vice president and senior public relations manager, with the president and frst lady of Florida A&M University, Dr. Larry Robinson and his wife, Sharon. University, Tennessee State University, North Ca rolina A&T University, North Carolina Central University and Morehouse College. These schools were noted for their strong engineering, business and science, technology and math programs, and for developing talent that could excel at Fifth Third. Our HBCU strategy also emphasizes internships, co-operative education and long-term employment through leadership programs and early talent, entry-level opportunities. Additionally, the Fifth Third Foundation provided fve $5,300 scholarships over fve years to Johnson C. Smith University, Clark Atlanta University, Tennessee State University and North Carolina Central University. For additional information about these programs see page 69 . 57