Five companies recognized with the 2025 Catalyst Award for advancing women’s representation and inclusion

CIBC, JDE Peet’s, KPMG, McCarthy Tétrault and Sanofi will be recognized at the annual gender equality conference and dinner

NEW YORK, December 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — CIBC, JDE Peet’s, KPMG, McCarthy Tétrault and Sanofi advance women and inclusion through their world-class workplace initiatives. Catalyst, the global nonprofit organization promoting gender equity and inclusion in the workplace, will honor her with the 2025 Catalyst Award at the Catalyst Awards Conference & Dinner March 11, 2025.

Since 1987, the Catalyst Award has recognized 115 initiatives from 102 organizations around the world. Catalyst Award winners lead a community of forward-thinking organizations that develop new and innovative ways to develop talent and strengthen their organizations.

“This is exactly what creating jobs for women looks like in practice,” he said Jennifer McCollumPresident and CEO of Catalyst. “These Catalyst Award-winning initiatives demonstrate what is possible when companies prioritize gender equality and inclusion in their workplaces with intention and investment. While progress for women worldwide is slow and stalled, these five companies show us how we can turn this tide by implementing programs that are good for their companies, their employees and their communities.”

The initiatives recognized with the Catalyst Award 2025 are:

CIBC
Leading with inclusion

CIBC, a North American financial institution, emphasizes inclusion as a business strategy. Their Leading with Inclusion initiative helped increase the proportion of women among the company’s senior leaders globally by 7 percentage points, from 33% in 2019 to nearly 40% in 2023. Both women of color and other employees from talent segments were underrepresented in the past The financial services industry also grew.

“At CIBC, inclusion is a cornerstone of our bank,” he said Victor DodigPresident and CEO of CIBC. “Building an inclusive culture that reflects the customers and communities we serve enables unique perspectives and experiences and drives innovative solutions. Our entire CIBC team is honored to receive the 2025 Catalyst Award, which is a testament to our bank’s commitment to building an inclusive culture and opportunities for advancement in our industry.”

JDE Peet’s
TrueYOU: Standing together in our differences

A strong governance structure guides and cascades the TrueYou: Standing Together in Our Differences strategy at JDE Peet’s, a global leader in the coffee and tea industry. Through its initiative, JDE Peet’s globally saw an increase in the proportion of women from 25% to 36.4% (11.4 percentage points) on the Executive Committee, from 37.2% to 41.5% (4.3 percentage points) on the Global Leadership Team and from 23.1% to 38.5% (15.4 percentage points) on the board.

“At JDE Peet’s, we are creating a future that authentically serves, reflects and embraces everyone,” he said Rafa OliveiraCEO of JDE Peet’s. “Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion – guided by our belief in ‘coming together in our differences’ – has created a workplace where everyone can bring their true selves to work. We are honored to have our progress recognized by Catalyst, and it is a powerful reminder that our journey continues as we celebrate milestones and that we succeed as a team when we reach our full potential. “

KPMG
KPMG Accelerate

Prioritizing inclusive, diverse teams is part of every business function at KPMG LLP (KPMG), the U.S. accounting, tax and advisory firm. It is anchored not only through the governance structure and accountability mechanisms, but also through talent management. From 2014 to 2023, the proportion of women increased at almost all levels, including a 37.8 point increase from 22.2% to 60% in the C-suite and an 8.3 point increase from 25% to 33.3% in the C-suite Board. The proportion of women of color also increased at almost all levels.

“We are incredibly proud of our efforts to advance women at all levels of our company,” she said Paul KnoppChairman and CEO of KPMG LLP. “When we bring together the best people from diverse backgrounds, we improve long-term experiences and outcomes for our employees and our customers. By recognizing and celebrating the impactful contributions of our workforce, we create a culture that empowers everyone. “The award is a testament to the tremendous efforts of our employees and the progress we have made, and it inspires us to continue to build a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.”

McCarthy Tetrault
Inclusion now

CanadaLaw firm McCarthy Tétrault’s Inclusion Now strategy focuses on recruitment, retention and promotion and has developed innovative ways to address barriers to inclusion in the legal sector. Through her initiative, she increased the proportion of women across the company by 11.2 percentage points, from 51.3% in 2019 to 62.6% in 2024.

“At McCarthy Tétrault, our employees’ collective commitment to our core values has been key to our success,” he said Dave LeonardCEO of McCarthy Tetrault. “It has allowed us to make equity, diversity and inclusion part of what it means to be a member of our company. Our Inclusion Now strategy allows us to focus on improving our diversity and providing an inclusive workplace for our employees. Equity, diversity, and inclusion will continue to be a core part of our identity. The pursuit of gender equality in our profession continues to be a journey. We are making progress, but more needs to be done. We are honored to receive this recognition.

Sanofi
Diversity advantage

Global healthcare company Sanofi’s dedicated Diversity Edge Initiative policies and programs have driven internal change to make it a model of inclusion. Since Sanofi launched its gender balance goal, Sanofi has seen the proportion of women increase by 8.6 percentage points. Currently, 42% of managers and 45% of senior management positions are women.

“As a mission-driven healthcare company that pursues the wonders of science to improve people’s lives, the evolution of our organization must reflect the evolution of our society,” he said Paul HudsonCEO of Sanofi. “It is an honor to receive the Catalyst Award, a recognition we owe to our incredible teams who show up every day with the courage to create positive change in the workplace and beyond. I am proud of the progress we are making to promote a greater diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. There is still a lot to do, but I am confident that we are on the right track.

The 2025 Catalyst Awards Conference & Dinner is a transformative learning and community-building experience dedicated to promoting inclusive workplaces for women. It will take place in person at the New York Hilton Midtown New York City and online.

Ticket packages and individual tickets are now available for the conference and dinner events on March 11th.

About catalyst

catalyst is a global nonprofit supported by many of the world’s most influential CEOs and leading companies to help build workplaces that work for women. Founded in 1962, Catalyst drives change with exceptional thought leadership, actionable solutions and an engaged community of multinational companies to advance women into leadership positions faster – because progress for women is progress for all.

Contact:
Mariana Vanin
Director, Global Communications
catalyst
[email protected]

SOURCE Catalyst, Inc.