CEOs Who Pledged to Advance Women Outpace Global Peers in Elevating Women in Leadership Roles

NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Once again, Catalyst CEO Champions For Change are advancing women across the leadership pipeline, according to the newly released Towards a More Equitable Future: The Catalyst CEO Champions For Change report. The report also identifies ways global companies can collect data on ethnicity and race in their organizations.

The tangible progress in women's representation in the global leadership pipeline shows women comprise nearly 40% of managers and are nearly at a third of senior-level and board leadership:

• Executives: 27.0% (vs. global companies: 23%)
• Senior managers: 29.5% (vs. global companies: 29%)
• Managers: 39.3% (vs. global companies: 37%)
• Board directors: 31.6% (vs. S&P 500: 26%)

The pandemic and protests against racism have led to a corporate awakening, propelling more companies to dig deep and commit to taking action to break down systemic barriers created by racial and ethnic inequities. Long before 2020, Catalyst CEO Champions For Change have been engaged in this effort, and they continue to lead the way toward creating more inclusive workplaces.

"Across all levels of our company, we're committed to increasing the representation and visibility of diverse talent, and our partnership with the Catalyst CEO Champions For Change will help us to accelerate that progress," said Brian Moynihan, CEO at Bank of America. "We have also built on work we have had underway throughout our company's history to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace and have seen increases in diverse representation in nearly every area."

The report explores ways to measure the representation of women who identify with underrepresented ethnic and racial groups and provides a three-step plan to help organizations accelerate their journey toward equity:

• Step 1: Get educated on intersectionality.
• Step 2: Establish a system for collecting reliable data on race and ethnicity.
• Step 3: Start the conversation about racism.

"Women, and particularly women of color, continue to face entrenched barriers to advancement in companies across the world, but it's important that Catalyst CEO Champions For Change companies continue to demonstrate collective progress," said Catalyst President & CEO Lorraine Hariton. "We know more work needs to be done, but the data show positive gains, and we're proud to partner with these CEOs in this effort."

Read the report.

Learn more. 

Join the conversation: #CatalystForChange