Catalyst Honours FAQ

Catalyst Honours Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Catalyst Honours?

Catalyst Honours recognizes exceptional role models for accelerating progress for women in the workplace in Canada. Since 2010, 81 outstanding individuals have been honoured as champions, representing the gold standard for leadership in corporate Canada. Each fall, champions are honoured at the Catalyst Honours Conference & Dinner.

2. What makes this recognition unique?

Catalyst Honours salutes individuals who are making a difference. Champions challenge their colleagues to accelerate the advancement of talented women in an effort to build inclusive workplaces where all individuals can thrive. Their leadership example motivates both their corporate colleagues and their industry peers to think and act inclusively. This recognition is a valuable platform for sharing individual successes with the broader Canadian business community.

3. Why should I nominate a leader?

The Catalyst Honours program seeks to recognize role models who are driving positive, important, and sustainable change for women in Canadian workplaces. This recognition is an opportunity to celebrate the efforts, actions, and achievements of individual leaders, and to share their stories and experiences with a national audience.

Catalyst Honours Champions are celebrated at the Catalyst Honours Conference & Dinner, attended by senior business leaders from across the country and across industries. Catalyst also publishes a public profile of each champion, outlining their outstanding achievements. Each champion’s name will appear in promotional materials for the Catalyst Honours.

4. In what categories are champions recognized?

Catalyst Honours recognizes champions in four categories: Company/Firm Leader, Business Leader, HR/DEI Leader, and Next Generation Leader:

• Company/Firm Leader is a CEO, president (in Canadian incorporated companies or subsidiaries in which there is no CEO) or managing partner. To be eligible, nominees must have a minimum of two women on their executive team, at least one of whom is living across a marginalized identity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and/or ability.
• Business Leader is an individual who plans, directs, and formulates policies; sets strategies; and provides the overall direction of a business unit, division, practice, team, or similar.
• HR/DEI Leader is an individual who is within the HR or DEI function at their organization. They could be at any level within their organization and have a direct mandate to focus on DEI/HR initiatives impacting employees across the organization or business unit.
• Next Generation Leader is an individual who is on the path to becoming a leader at their organization. This category can include those leading and engaged with ERGs.

All champions hail from a for-profit entity, including: a company, subsidiary, limited liability partnership, commercial crown corporation, or commercial co-operative in Canada.

5. How do I know if a potential nominee is qualified?

Catalyst Honours is designed to recognize individuals who have successfully undertaken efforts to accelerate progress for women across their intersecting identities in the workplace. They have advanced their organization(s), and, in some cases, their industry to a more inclusive state. These individuals demonstrate inclusive leadership behaviours in their day-to-day interactions in the workplace and beyond. We are looking for people from a variety of backgrounds and with different experiences, who demonstrate positive and sustainable progress for women at work. If you believe an individual’s background and efforts might be of interest, we encourage you to complete and submit a nomination package.

6. Can I nominate myself?

If you are interested in being considered, you must be nominated by someone who is familiar with your accomplishments and who will complete and submit the nomination form.

7. What experience should an applicant have?

Champions mentor and sponsor women, challenge the status quo, influence others within the organization and the broader community to commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion, actively participate in diversity and inclusion programs/initiatives demonstrating tangible results, and have a marked impact on the advancement of all women. They should have been in their role, or one similar, for three years.

8. What do previous champions look like?

Catalyst Honours has recognized Canadian business leaders hailing from various industries and with differing backgrounds and experiences. All previous champions have demonstrated outstanding commitment to, and achievement in, advancing women. Read more about past champions.

9. What is the nomination process?

To nominate a candidate for the 2025 Catalyst Honours, a completed nomination form must be submitted to  [email protected] by February 13, 2025.

Prior to the public announcement in June 2025, all nominators will be alerted as to whether their nominee will be honoured.

10. What is the time commitment?

The nomination form consists of the nominee’s contact information and responses to questions describing the nominee’s efforts and outcomes in advancing women in the workplace. Two reference letters must also be submitted from individuals who can attest to the nominee’s accomplishments as described on the submitted nomination form.

Individuals named as Catalyst Honours Champions will be asked to review a public profile written by Catalyst, participate in the creation of a video, and attend the Catalyst Honours event in fall 2025.

11. When will I hear about the result of my nomination?

Nominators of individuals selected as Catalyst Honours Champions will be notified in June 2025.

12. Can I nominate more than one person from my organization?

We ask that you focus on one nomination per organization.

13. If I am not selected this year, can I be nominated again next year?

Yes, we encourage all individuals who meet the eligibility criteria to be nominated in subsequent years.

14.   Who should be identified as references?

We encourage nominees to select professional references who are very familiar with the nominee’s accomplishments and who can provide tangible examples of how the nominee has created a positive impact for women in the workplace. References can be individuals of varying seniority and can be internal/external to the nominee’s immediate workplace.

15. The nominee’s organization does not have any diversity initiatives. Should I still nominate them?

Yes. Catalyst Honours recognizes individuals who accelerate progress for women through workplace inclusion. We seek to honour individual efforts, behaviours, and outcomes, not organizational initiatives.

16. What is the difference between the Catalyst Award and the Catalyst Honours?

The Catalyst Award is open to organizations across the globe and recognizes specific initiatives or programs that promote gender diversity and inclusion within an organization. In contrast, Catalyst Honours recognizes Canadian business leaders who accelerate progress for women in the workplace.

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