Catalyst hosted a highly informative webinar on how workplaces can Accelerate Action

Across the world, International Women's Day (IWD) sees many organizations run impactful events that help highlight issues impacting women in the workplace.

Catalyst, a leading voice on women's advancement and inclusion in the workplace, hosted an informative webinar on how to Accelerate Action in the workplace. The webinar formed a part of Catalyst's IWD 2025 campaign and was supported by Catalyst's research-backed tools and insights that help Accelerate Action.

"This International Women’s Day, we have an opportunity - not just to celebrate women’s achievements, but to reaffirm our commitment to accelerating action. In today’s polarized environment, companies around the world may feel challenged to hit pause, but history shows that those who continue to invest in inclusion and belonging are better positioned for long-term success," explained Catalyst. "International Women's Day is an opportunity to step back and take the long view, and explore how we can all engage in accelerating action in a sustainable way, including embedding inclusion as a leadership value and in operations; implementing inclusive initiatives that support fairness and well-being; and aligning with transformative policies, such as the European Women on Boards and EU Pay Transparency directives to drive lasting change," added Catalyst.

The session launched with a snapshot of new research from the Catalyst CEO Champions For Change initiative, a community of organizations pledged to advance more women into all levels of leadership.  

Highlights of the webinar included:

• Evidence that inclusion is a core value that drives business success and positively impacts employees, customers, and communities. 
• How resilient organizations maintain or increase their investments in reducing talent gaps and fostering inclusive work cultures, even in the face of broader challenges. 
• Growing commitment to pay equity audits and other pay equity processes. 
• Why some companies continue to outpace their peers in gender diversity at all organizational levels, including Boards of Directors. 

The Catalyst webinar was for HR leaders, D&I practitioners, business executives, and allies committed to creating workplaces where employees thrive. 

The event saw an impressive line up of speakers

William Self is a Partner & Global Leader for Workforce Strategy & Analytics at Mercer and is responsible for the firm's efforts in people analytics, DEI strategy and analytics, strategic workforce planning, and pay equity. He is located in Dallas, Texas. William's work focuses on transforming organizations' data into actionable insights, advanced strategy, and competitive advantage. Before joining Mercer, William led the enterprise data-and-analytics function at H&R Block, and he served as the Chief Data & Analytics Officer for USAA's life-Insurance, investment-management, and asset-management companies. William has worked in corporate strategy at Liberty Mutual, in analytics-oriented startups, and in academia, directing a research lab at the University of Missouri Kansas City and teaching at several other business schools, including UC Berkeley, Washington University in St. Louis, and Fudan University in Shanghai, China. William is a recognized thought leader in people analytics, speaks frequently at academic and industry conferences, and publishes in top academic journals, including the Leadership Quarterly, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and PLOS One.

Josie Cox is a journalist, author, broadcaster and public speaker. She has worked on staff for Reuters, The Independent and The Wall Street Journal. As a freelancer, Josie has written for Bloomberg, Business Insider, Salon, The Washington Post, The Spectator, Guardian, MSNBC, Fortune, Forbes and many other publications. Josie has appeared on CNN, ABC, PBS, CNBC, public radio and a host of other networks. She regularly contributes to the BBC, both as a writer and broadcaster and is a founding editor of The Persistent, an online platform designed to amplify women's voices, for which she writes weekly. Josie was a 2020/2021 Knight-Bagehot Fellow at Columbia Journalism School in New York, and holds a BA from the University of Bath in the U.K. and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Josie is an Associate Instructor within the Strategic Communications program at Columbia's School of Professional Studies. Her first book, WOMEN MONEY POWER: The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality was published by Abrams in 2024.

Andrew Grissom is Director of Community Growth at Catalyst. He creates and oversees the implementation of initiatives and programs that encourage community involvement, participation, and dialogue. Andrew leads research and community engagement activities for the Catalyst CEO Champions For Change initiative and is a subject matter expert on DEI measurement; self-identification; pay equity; pay transparency; global environmental, social, and governance trends; employee resource groups; gender partnership; and inclusive leadership. Previously, Andrew co-led Catalyst Practices, a research series that profiles leading-edge organizational DEI strategies, initiatives, and programs. He has served on numerous cross-functional teams, including the Catalyst Award Evaluation Committee. Before joining Catalyst, Andrew was a librarian at the Paul Barret, Jr. Library at Rhodes College. He received his Master of Science in information sciences from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Rhodes College. He served as President of the Advisory Board for the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville from 2022 to 2023. 

A leading voice on women's advancement in the workplace

As a leading voice on women's advancement and inclusion since the 1960s, Catalyst is a recognized expert on gender equity at work, helping organizations drive systemic change for all women in the workplace. Catalyst's mission is to accelerate progress for women through workplace inclusion. By helping organizations solve business challenges by attracting talent and fostering innovation, Catalyst drives performance through inclusive cultures and diverse perspectives. Catalyst also delivers the research, tools, and programs that address persistent systemic barriers. Catalyst's intersectional approach ensures workplaces accelerate gender equity at every level and helps foster sustainable business.

Catalyst has been an IWD Charity of Choice since 2017 and is a member of IWD GIVING.