Events

Ready for Change

For over 20 years, the Catalyst Awards Conference has brought together experts from around the world to share knowledge and engage on issues related to diversity, inclusion, and equality in the workplace. The Conference also showcases our Catalyst Award-winning initiatives for the recruitment, development, and advancement of all women.

In 2013, we harnessed the energy of last year’s global 50th anniversary celebrations and channeled it into steady movement toward an even brighter future. We celebrated all we have accomplished together since 1962 and applauded the women and men who continue to be dedicated to Catalyst’s vision of “Changing workplaces. Changing lives.”

The 2013 Catalyst Awards Conference was a full day devoted to the 2013 Catalyst Award winners and Catalyst expertise. Ursula Burns, Chair and CEO, Xerox Corporation, was the keynote speaker.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:00 – 8:30AM

Speakers:
Alex Johnston Executive Director, Catalyst Canada
Debbie Storey, Senior Vice President, Talent Development, and Chief Diversity Officer, AT&T

2013 Catalyst Award Winner Plenary Session

8:30 – 10:00AM

Senior leaders from the 2013 Catalyst Award-winning organizations discussed the strategies and tactics used to successfully advance women and change their workplaces—and the world. This year’s Award-winning initiatives demonstrate how global diversity strategies at multinational corporations can be implemented successfully across different contexts and industries.

Speakers:
Moderator: Laura Sabattini, PhD, Senior Director, Research, and Chair, Catalyst Award Evaluation Committee
Muhtar Kent, Chairman & CEO, The Coca-Cola Company
Gena Lovett, Chief Diversity Officer, Alcoa Inc.
Glen Morrison, President, Alcoa Building and Construction Systems, Alcoa Inc.
Leena Nair, SVP, Leadership and Organisation Development, and Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Unilever
Paul Polman, Chief Executive Officer, Unilever
Kathy Waller, VP & Controller, and Chair of the Women’s Leadership Council, The Coca-Cola Company

Click on the image below to view footage from the 2013 Catalyst Awards Conference Plenary Session.

2013 Catalyst Award Winner Concurrent Sessions

10:15 – 11:15AM

Alcoa Inc.—Building Opportunities for Women in a “Hard Hat” Company

Speakers:
Moderator: Nikki Lamba, Senior Associate, Catalyst
Jack Bergen, Vice President, Corporate Projects
Chrystiane Junqueira, Director, Human Resources, U.S. Primary Products
Janne Sigurðsson, Managing Director, Alcoa Iceland

The Coca-Cola Company—Global Women’s Initiative: Women as the Real Drivers of the 21st Century

Speakers:
Moderator: Emily Zuckerman, Senior Director, Global Administration, Catalyst
Steve Bucherati, Chief Diversity Officer
Gill McLaren, General Manager, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, and Member, Women’s Leadership Council
Charlotte Oades, Global Director, Women’s Economic Empowerment, and Member, Women’s Leadership Council

Unilever—Global Reach With Local Roots: Creating a Gender-Balanced Workforce in Different Cultural Contexts

Speakers:
Moderator: Anthony Mitchell, Senior Membership Manager, Catalyst
Fiona Laird, Senior Vice President Human Resources, Global Categories and Research & Development
Subarna Malakar, Global Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Global Diversity and Inclusion
Poornima Pandey, Diversity Lead, South Asia

Concurrent Catalyst Meet-Ups

1:30 – 2:15PM

Catalyst Meet-Up: Corporate Practices

Catalyst and business experts held a knowledge-sharing session about diversity, inclusion, and best business practices. Attendees got the opportunity to to discuss their organization’s innovative work, as well as learn from others about their companies’ cutting-edge programs. The session focused on how leading organizations can turn ideas into action.

Catalyst Facilitators:
Julie S. Nugent, Senior Director, Research
Liz Mulligan-Ferry, Senior Associate, Research

Catalyst Meet-Up: Vital Signs

Catalyst knows that identifying what’s hampering gender diversity progress in your workforce isn’t easy. We also know that smart companies are eager to move quickly from awareness to action. This meet-up session provided information about Catalyst’s new service, Vital Signs, which aims to unpack the complicated topics of workforce data and diagnosis by shifting the conversation from pure numbers to the deep insights and critical questions that lead to real change.

Catalyst Facilitator:
Jennifer Kohler, Director and Consultant, Global Member Services
Tolonda M. Tolbert, PhD, Senior Associate and Consultant, Global Member Services

Catalyst Meet-Up: Corporate Board Resource

This session featured conversations about the trends, challenges, and successes experienced by women in corporate governance. Attendees got the opportunity to learn more about Catalyst’s influence in the world of corporate boards, and benefit from the wisdom of sitting directors.

Catalyst Facilitators:
Kerry Goodenow, Associate, Corporate Board Services
Meesha Rosa, Director, Corporate Board Services and Marketing Operations
Brande Stellings, JD, Vice President, Corporate Board Services

Catalyst Meet-Up: Women of Color

Catalyst’s body of work on women of color reveals improvements over time, including a greater incidence of mentors for women of color and greater levels of satisfaction with career development programs. Yet our work also reveals that diversity and inclusion programs tend to be more effective for white women than they are for women of color. Furthermore, subtle and covert bias continues to be an underlying—and persistent—barrier in the workplace for women of color. This meet-up session provided a candid discussion of dynamics in the workplace affecting women of color and approaches organizations can take to address these challenging issues.

Catalyst Facilitator:
Katherine Giscombe, PhD, Vice President, Diverse Women & Inclusion Research

Catalyst Meet-Up: MARC (Men Advocating Real Change)

MARC is the only online community designed for men and women allies committed to achieving equality in the workplace. For the last 12 months, MARC bloggers and members have shared candid perspectives on a range of issues working men face around the globe—from balancing the 24/7 business culture with fatherhood to the challenges of “walking the talk” and being a truly inclusive leader. In this session MARC members and supporters to took their engaging perspectives from the virtual to the physical realm.

Catalyst Facilitators:
Mike Otterman, Social Media Manager
Jeanine Prime, PhD, Vice President, Research

Catalyst Connects

2:15 – 3:45PM

Catalyst research consistently finds that having role models and access to networking opportunities helps to promote career advancement. The primary objective of the Catalyst Connects event series is to bring together high-potential women to be inspired by some of the most successful and influential senior female executives.

Since 2008, Catalyst has organized Catalyst Connects across various international locations, with more than 2,500 women in attendance. The program is successful because of its interactive format and the outstanding executive business leaders who have shared their experiences, advice, and stories in an open and engaging manner.

During the Conference attendees got the opportunity to experience Catalyst Connects which featured stories and advice from phenomenal executive business leaders.

Moderators:
Michael J. Chamberlain, Vice President, Brand Management & Events, Catalyst
Deborah M. Soon, Senior Vice President, Stategy & Marketing, Catalyst

Click on the image below to view footage from the 2013 Catalyst Awards Conference Catalyst Connects Session.

Closing Remarks and Reception

3:45 – 4:30PM

Share your own journey. Tweet #diversejourneys #catcon13 @catalystinc

Click on the image to view a compendium that highlights some of the most impactful moments of the 2013 Catalyst Awards Conference and Dinner with graphic recordings created live during the day.

The 2013 Catalyst Awards Conference luncheon featured Ursula Burns, Chair & CEO, Xerox Corporation, and Ilene H. Lang, President & CEO, Catalyst, in a discussion about being ready to lead their people and their organizations.

Click on the image below to watch the conversation.