Catalyst announces winners of new Breakout Program award

For the first time, Catalyst is recognizing individual corporate programs that advance inclusion with our new Breakout Program award. Through this recognition, Catalyst hopes to inspire employers by publicizing some of the most innovative and effective programs that have been making the workplace—and world—more equitable and inclusive. Winners will be celebrated at our Catalyst Awards gala on March 11, 2025.

The Breakout Program award differs from the Catalyst Award in that it recognizes a singular DEI program while Catalyst Award-winning DEI initiatives demonstrate broad company culture change across numerous programs and efforts.

For the Breakout Program award’s founding year, the Catalyst Advisory Board selected three innovative and creative initiatives. The 2025 Breakout Program award winners are:

Uber’s uSteer

Uber’s uSteer is a globally scaled talent acquisition channel designed to create corporate career pathways for drivers and couriers on the Uber platform. Recruiters identify uSteer candidates across all global mega-regions within their applicant tracking system and connect them with corporate job openings. Once drivers or couriers apply, recruiters provide them with support such as giving them a full picture of what a career at Uber looks like and helping them prepare for interviews. Since the fourth quarter of 2022, the program has resulted in over 600 hires, 36% of whom are women and 44% of whom are from underrepresented populations.

Wells Fargo’s Neurodiversity Program

The Wells Fargo Neurodiversity Program launched in April 2020 in Enterprise Technology. The program has successfully established meaningful full-time employment opportunities by providing an inclusive, considerate, and accommodating skills-based hiring model that is accessible by design. The program is structured with a deep understanding of the unique challenges and barriers that neurodiverse individuals may face in traditional hiring processes. It fosters an environment of safety and trust through delivery of interactive workshops and team-based problem-solving, which allows candidates to showcase their talent in a more comfortable environment and leads to a more comprehensive assessment by hiring managers. In addition, the program delivers education, professional support, and enablement programs to enrich the lives and work experience of employees, ensuring that neurodiverse talents are not just hired but are also nurtured for growth and success within the organization. Nine of 15 core business divisions across 12 unique job titles participate in the program, and as of the end of 2023 recruits had a 97% retention rate. In 2023 alone, 130 new employees were hired, 57% of whom were from marginalized races and ethnicities and 34% of whom were women.

The Menopause Foundation of Canada, Sun Life Menopause Works Here™ Partnership

The goal of this Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC) campaign is to raise awareness about menopause, a critical part of women's health, and identify ways to better support menopausal women in the workplace. Companies are losing out on employees’ skills by not supporting them through all stages of their lives, including perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. Built upon results of landmark research on menopause in the Canadian workplace, the Menopause Works Here™ campaign champions menopause-inclusive workplaces in Canada and encourages employers to demonstrate their support for the well-being of employees experiencing menopause. Sun Life was the first organization to join the campaign and is a key partner of MFC, sponsoring research as well as the creation of the core free resource, the Menopause Inclusive Playbook, which provides employers with a practical, five-step guide to inspire them to take action. Organizations that join have access to a number of free resources, including the Playbook, and commit to take action in supporting women to thrive both professionally and personally.