National News
Campbell Soup Company, Deloitte, Royal Bank of Canada, and Telstra Initiatives Celebrated With the 2010 Catalyst Award
By HE&IT
Mar 25, 2010, 10:17

The 2010 Catalyst Award was presented to Campbell Soup Company, Deloitte LLP, Royal Bank of Canada and Telstra Corporation Limited for their ground-breaking initiatives that advance women in the workplace. The Award, given during the Catalyst Awards Dinner Wednesday at The Waldorf-Astoria, attracted more than 70 CEOs of major corporations and firms and nearly 1,500 senior executives and industry leaders from more than 200 U.S. and global companies. PepsiCo, Inc. and Shell Oil Company sponsored the Dinner.

"What makes this year's winning initiatives so successful is that they didn't aim for minor improvements or incremental change. They went for game changers," said Ilene H. Lang, President and Chief Executive Officer of Catalyst. "They realized that in changing workplaces, they can change lives, and this year's winners are examples of how it's done."

Jim Skinner, Chief Executive Officer of McDonald's Corporation, chaired the Catalyst Awards Dinner. "McDonald's is committed to diversity and inclusion," said Mr. Skinner. "Our track record in developing and promoting women and minorities at every level of our business demonstrates that we follow through on that commitment. It was an honor to serve as Chair for the Catalyst Awards Dinner and to share the stage with tonight's honorees for such an inspirational event."

Campbell Soup Company's initiative, Winning in the Workplace, Winning in the Marketplace, Winning With Women, utilized employee engagement, knowledge sharing, and innovation to develop a culture of diversity and inclusion. Doug Conant, President and Chief Executive Officer of Campbell Soup Company, said, "Developing an engaged, diverse and inclusive workforce is inextricably linked to business performance and will continue to enable Campbell to win in the workplace, in the marketplace, and in the community. Catalyst's recognition of our progress affirms we are heading in the right direction, but I am confident we can and will do even more in the future."

Deloitte's The Women's Initiative: Living the Lattice created significant change in the company's culture and provided an engine for innovation, becoming a model for other organizations in the process. Barry Salzberg, Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte, said, "We are honored that Catalyst has recognized our Women's Initiative, which supports the growth and advancement of women leaders, for the second time. Since launching the Women's Initiative in 1993, our mission has been to harness the perspectives and dynamic approaches strong women leaders offer our clients and create a culture where the best talent chooses to work."

RBC's initiative, Client First Transformation: Achieving Business Results and Cultural Revitalization Through Diversity, embeds diversity and inclusion principles into its approach with employees, clients, and communities. Gordon M. Nixon, President and CEO of Royal Bank of Canada, said, "Our company performs at its best when we have talented people with different experiences and perspectives all focused on doing the right thing for our clients. I am honoured to accept this award on behalf of all our 77,000 employees. Every day, they make RBC an outstanding place to come to work and a welcoming place for all of our clients."

Telstra's Next Generation Gender Diversity: Accelerating Change for Women Leaders initiative uses an integrated approach to increase women's representation at senior and pipeline levels and engage men as change agents, creating an inclusive culture of mentoring and networking. David Thodey, Chief Executive Officer of Telstra Corporation Limited, commented, "I accept this Award on behalf of Telstra's employees. We are proud of our progress which has seen an increase in the representation of women in management and executive roles. We are only at the beginning of our journey and over the coming months will be doing even more towards creating a workforce that celebrates diversity and reflects our customer base and community."

The Catalyst Awards Conference, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and Walmart, provided an opportunity for attendees to engage leaders and representatives of the award-winning initiatives. Anne M. Mulcahy, Chairman of Xerox Corporation, was the featured luncheon speaker on the topic of women in leadership.