Deloitte's Women's Initiative Receives 2010 Catalyst Award

Award Honors Results of 17 Years of Commitment and Innovation in Women's Advancement

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Feb 03, 2010, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Deloitte LLP has been named a recipient of the 2010 Catalyst Award, an honor recognizing innovative, effective and measurable initiatives to advance women in the workplace. Catalyst, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to building inclusive workplaces and expanding opportunities for women and business, cited the achievements of Deloitte's Women's Initiative (WIN), noting it has "created significant change in the company's culture and provided an engine for innovation, becoming a model for other organizations in the process." This is the second Catalyst Award presented in honor of a Deloitte initiative. In 1995, Catalyst recognized Deloitte's Task Force for the Retention and Advancement of Women.

Unique components of Deloitte's Women's Initiative: Living the Lattice, include Mass Career Customization, a model that enables all Deloitte professionals to dial up and dial down their careers to fit their needs at various life stages; and Women as Buyers, a workshop to help men at Deloitte build stronger relationships with women clients and colleagues by better understanding their work and communication styles.

"These initiatives exemplify our Catalyst vision — 'Changing workplaces. Changing lives,'" said Ilene H. Lang, president & chief executive officer of Catalyst. "They impact the lives of employees, families and communities by transforming organizations, and serve as models that inspire and encourage others to embrace inclusive workplaces that benefit women, men and business."

"It is extremely satisfying to see the tremendous progress we have made since launching our Women's Initiative in 1993," said Barry Salzberg, chief executive officer, Deloitte LLP. "Over the past 17 years, we have seen first-hand how having strong female leaders brings new perspectives and creates new approaches to business challenges, which in return helps us to provide the best possible solutions to our clients' problems."

Barbara Adachi, principal, Deloitte Consulting and leader of WIN, said, "In a year marked by a global recession, being recognized by Catalyst is a tremendous accomplishment. It speaks to our deep commitment to our women and men and the belief that they play a critical role in our growth. This recognition also validates that we are successfully adapting to a shifting workforce that will soon comprise more than 50 percent women."

The mission of WIN is to drive marketplace growth and create a culture where the best talent chooses to work. WIN has fueled significant increases for women in leadership: women's representation as partners, principals and directors has risen from 6 percent in 1995 to 22 percent in 2009, and representation of women senior managers has increased from 23 percent to 36 percent in the same timeframe. In addition, the gender turnover gap decreased from 7 percent in 1995 to less than 1 percent during 2009. Deloitte reached an additional milestone in 2009 when it surpassed the 1,000 mark for U.S. women partners, principals and directors.

Catalyst Award-winning initiatives are evaluated in a rigorous year-long process against a robust set of criteria: business rationale, senior leadership support, accountability, communication, replicability, originality, and measurable results. Deloitte was one of four organizations recognized this year by Catalyst. The other award-winning initiatives were from Campbell Soup Company, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Telstra Corporation Limited.

About Deloitte

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP, Deloitte Consulting LLP and Deloitte Services LP, separate subsidiaries of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.

About Catalyst

Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit membership organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive workplaces and expand opportunities for women and business. With offices in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and more than 400 preeminent corporations as members, Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work. Catalyst annually honors exemplary organizational initiatives that promote women's advancement with the Catalyst Award.