Catalyst announced today the election of Cathy Engelbert, CEO, Deloitte, as chair of the Catalyst Board of Directors effective January 1, 2018. Since 2013, Peter Voser, Chairman, ABB Ltd., has served in the role.
"We are so very pleased to welcome Cathy as our new board chair. She knows that when women succeed, businesses succeed," said Deborah Gillis, President and CEO, Catalyst. "Cathy is a dedicated advocate for Catalyst's mission, a trailblazer and role model. Not only have Cathy's formidable talents been invaluable to the entire business community, we know that the combination of her leadership skills and management expertise will serve our board and organization well."
As CEO of Deloitte, Engelbert leads the largest professional services organization in the United Statesand is responsible for more than 85,000 professionals. Deloitte professionals provide audit and assurance, tax, consulting and risk and financial advisory services to over 80% of the Fortune 500. She also serves on Deloitte's Board of Directors.
"Catalyst has been and will continue to be instrumental in bringing together CEOs and companies in innovating around diversity and inclusion, and creating workplaces that work for women," said Engelbert. "I know firsthand how important supporting women is to helping everyone in business succeed, and I'm thrilled to be taking on the role of chair."
"We are also deeply grateful to Peter Voser who has brought a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to Catalyst, helping us move toward our ambitious goals to help women in the workplace," said Gillis. Voser will continue to serve on the Executive Committee of the Catalyst Board of Directors through 2018.
In addition, Engelbert's appointment marks the first time women are leading both the Catalyst Board of Directors and the Catalyst Board of Advisors. In July 2017, Catalyst named Rohini Anand, Senior Vice President Corporate Responsibility & Global Chief Diversity Officer, Sodexo, to the latter as its chair. Engelbert and Anand were elected on September 7, 2017 and June 8, 2017, respectively to the Catalyst Board of Directors and the Catalyst Board of Advisors.
"We now have two incredible women leaders, Cathy and Rohini, serving as the chairs of both boards. This is what progress looks like, and this is Catalyst living its mission. And it is what we are asking corporate leaders to do through our initiatives such as Catalyst CEO Champions For Change and Catalyst Women On Board™," said Gillis.
The Catalyst Board of Directors and the Catalyst Board of Advisors—both including leading executives from top global corporations and professional firms—now have a total of nearly 65% women serving as members.
Catalyst's research shows that current boards do not reflect the diversity of our country as women hold only 21.2% of all S&P 500 board seats and women of color hold about 3.8% of Fortune 500 board seats.
Learn more at catalyst.org.
About Catalyst
Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit organization accelerating progress for women through workplace inclusion. With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, India, Australia, and Japan, and more than 800 supporting organizations, Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work.
About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the "Deloitte" name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.
