2011 Catalyst Annual Report

Catalyst President & Chief Executive Officer Ilene H. Lang (right) urges corporate leaders to take personal action to advance womenat the 2011 Catalyst CEO Summit.Two other events in Gurgaon and Bangalorehighlighted how sponsorship is essential totalent management and gave attendees anopportunity to build their own networks oflike-minded colleagues. With 35 memberorganizations in the region already, includingthree global corporations headquartered inIndia, we anticipate that our new office will bea source of rapid growth and rich knowledge.Another new event, the Catalyst CorporateBoard Governance Symposium, demonstratedour leadership in gathering experts togetherand stimulating action. Held over three daysin Toronto, the Symposium attracted morethan 20 of the world’s experts on corporategovernance, a diverse group comprisingleading academics, corporate boardmembers from Fortune and Financial Post 500companies, policy makers, and other businessexecutives from across disciplines and aroundthe globe. Together, they worked to assessthe state of corporate governance research,co-create a research agenda for the future,and determine a course of action to impactpolicies and practices around the world, helpgreater numbers of women advance intoleadership, and deliver better outcomes forwomen, business and society. BMO FinancialGroup hosted the Symposium at its worldclassInstitute for Learning.5 | Catalyst Annual Report 2011In December, we convened a powerful groupof business leaders at the fourth biennialCatalyst CEO Summit in New York, whereclose to 100 CEOs and senior executives metwith Catalyst to discuss “Getting Past Stuck”and formulate actionable strategies to helpadvance women to the very top of majorcorporations. By identifying steps they cantake personally—such as acting intentionally,taking sponsorship seriously, and becomingstrong and inclusive stewards of talent—theseengaged and thoughtful leaders pledged tomake a difference in their own organizations.The CEO Summit was sponsored by Ernst &Young.As these events demonstrate, Catalyst isfortunate to command the respect of a widerange of high-level leaders from a variety ofbackgrounds. But we also have a fast-growingglobal network of grass-roots supportersand champions who help communicateour message through social media such asTwitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.This year, our social media communities havemore than doubled in size and generatedserious discussions on the issues related toadvancing women and business. Mainstreammedia and high-profile bloggers from aroundthe world have also frequently cited Catalystwork in a variety of contexts. As our influencegrows, so does our ability to accomplish ourtransformative vision of changing workplacesand changing lives.