A letter from Catalyst's CEO

A continued promise: Driving women’s advancement and workplace inclusion at every level.  

Dear Catalyst Community,  

Here’s what I know for sure: creating workplaces that work for women and for everyone will always be the right thing and the smart thing to do. And it's never been more important or challenging, especially in the face of complexity and a rapidly changing backdrop. For more than 60 years, Catalyst has been relentlessly focused on accelerating progress for women through workplace inclusion. With a track record that long and a mission this critical, we are holding firm to our mission and evolving how we meet the moment. This mission is a business imperative, and the future of work depends on it.   

As a Catalyst Supporter, you are never alone; you are part of our global community. We are determined to create a sustainable and impactful path forward as we continue to create workplaces where everyone can contribute and thrive. 

Here’s what we’re looking toward in the year ahead, based on our latest research-rooted insights.  

Cutting through confusion with clarity  

This moment calls for clarity to cut through the confusion. We know organizations have important decisions to make both for their operations in the United States and for the global businesses of which they are a part. To help leaders navigate the path forward, we have prepared a CEO action framework and Executive talking points to help you determine and execute your next best steps and to help effectively message your strategy and stance.  

What I love about Catalyst is our ability to convene the most critical experts with the most critical content in the most critical moments. That’s what we’ll be doing on 11 March at Catalyst Awards 2025. In a keynote session, Kenji Yoshino of the NYU Meltzer Center will deliver insights on how companies can adapt to the rapidly evolving legal landscape while staying true to their values and the business outcomes that result from inclusive workplaces where all talent can thrive. This is the sophisticated, legally grounded perspective every champion for inclusive organizational culture needs to hear right now. I hope you’ll join us in New York or online.  

Gender partnership is the paradigm-shifting approach this moment requires

Catalyst has long known that we cannot accelerate women’s advancement without men, and that the fair and inclusive workplaces we seek are to the benefit of men, too. In fact, forthcoming research from Catalyst with over 5,000 men from 9 countries and more than 14 industries shows that the overwhelming majority of men – 97 percent – want to close gender gaps at work. For over a decade, Catalyst has developed research and programming focused on the critical role of men as advocates and allies. More recently, we have evolved our thought leadership to build on its foundation of inviting men to the table as critical partners. This expanded conversation more explicitly invites us all to embrace mutual accountability for being part of positive culture change. Everyone has an opportunity to become gender partners and can play a critical role in creating fair and inclusive workplaces, for their own benefit and that of all colleagues. With this, we are proud to announce the evolution of our MARC™ initiative, which will now stand for “Mutual Accountability, Real Change.”

This refresh of our MARC initiative is driven by a commitment to partnership over polarization and to collectively forging a path to respectful, resilient, workplaces where everyone—including those who may not have felt included in past efforts—can contribute to and benefit from fairness and inclusion. Our research-backed, experiential learning programs will help leaders at all levels build the awareness and skill to bring this to life.

Meritocracy is important in a thriving business and economy. And equally important is ensuring fair access to opportunity. It has never been more urgent and important to demonstrate that when creating a fair, just, and healthy workplace is done right, everyone wins—including men.

According to Catalyst research, 86 percent of men say they are personally committed to interrupting harmful dynamics at work in support of more inclusive experiences for women, and everyone. Yet only 31 percent feel confident to take action. Gender partnership is the path forward.

Thank you for your continued commitment to advancing workplace inclusion and doing so alongside Catalyst. We’re here for you and grateful you’re here with us.

With gratitude and resolve,

Jennifer McCollum
President & CEO
Catalyst