Catalyst today announced that ING U.S. Financial Services (USFS)
and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. are the recipients of the 2008 Catalyst
Award, the annual award that honors exceptional initiatives from
companies that support and advance women in business. This year´s
Award-winning initiatives reflect Catalyst´s global perspective and
the potential significant impact of women´s talent and advancement to
leadership positions in the global marketplace.
"We are pleased to recognize these two comprehensive initiatives
that demonstrate the strong business case supporting women´s
advancement and diversity in the workplace," said Ilene H. Lang,
President of Catalyst. "Catalyst believes that companies with diverse
leadership teams encourage openness and foster innovation. Both of
these initiatives provide their companies with a competitive business
advantage in today´s global marketplace, and inspire and encourage
others to embrace gender diversity in the workplace."
The Catalyst Award serves as a call to action to effect positive
and lasting change for women and business. As in the past, both of
this year´s Catalyst Award-winning initiatives were evaluated in a
rigorous year-long process against an extensive set of criteria:
business rationale, senior leadership support, accountability,
communication, replicability, originality, and measurable results.
These Award-winning initiatives reflect best practices around
inclusion and advancement of women to leadership roles and positions
of influence.
ING USFS´ initiative, Beyond Diversity: Building One ING Culture,
has created a unifying culture that identifies diversity and inclusion
as a business imperative, increased women managers at the top-most
level, and become a model for the global organization. In 2001,
recognizing the need for change, the company used a transition period
of rapid acquisitions and subsequent consolidation to identify the
necessary levers for culture change. ING USFS then capitalized on
different talents, perspectives, and ideas to increase diversity and
inclusion across all of its business locations. The resulting "One
ING" culture benefits all employees, with a strategic focus to include
women and other diverse groups. The components of the initiative
include, among other things, a comprehensive project to uncover
employee needs that has led to skill-building initiatives, targeted
recruitment, and mentoring programs, as well as an "acceleration" or
"deceleration" of up to 10 percent of each business unit´s bonus pool
that is linked specifically to performance on diversity measures,
judged quantitatively and qualitatively by the CEO.
Since the initiative´s inception in 2003, ING USFS has increased
women´s representation on the senior management team from 25 percent
to 50 percent, and currently, two executive women in profit-and-loss
roles manage 80 percent of ING USFS business. Two out of three people
in the succession pipeline to CEO are women, and the percentage of
women in people-manager positions has increased from 2003 to 2007.
Nissan Motor´s Japan-only initiative, Women in the Driver´s Seat:
Gender Diversity as a Lever in Japan, uses diversity to secure
business success by increasing women´s participation and contribution
in all areas of the business. The business case for having women as
decision-makers and in positions of influence within the company was
developed in response to research identifying women as influencers of
two-thirds of all car purchases. With the support of many senior
leaders and champions, the resulting diversity strategy focuses on
three areas: engagement, education, and advancement of women. The
components of the initiative include, among other things, career
advancement support through specialized "Career Advisors" for women
only, as well as ergonomic adjustments to equipment and other
improvements in facilities and working conditions at plants that allow
women to contribute fully.
The initiative showcases solid increases for women in positions of
influence in Japan. Since 2004, women in management positions have
increased from 36 to 101 women, and the percentage of women managers
in the design, planning, and product planning function has doubled.
The percentage of sales people (Car Life Advisors) at Nissan-owned
dealerships who are women has increased as well, while the percentage
of women in manufacturing plants more than doubled. This is also the
first time an initiative from a company headquartered in Asia has
received the Catalyst Award.
ING USFS and Nissan Motor will present in-depth discussions on
their initiatives at the 2008 Catalyst Awards Conference at the
Waldorf=Astoria in New York City on April 9, 2008. The conference,
which is sponsored exclusively by Cadillac, will feature keynote
speaker Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, Inc. PepsiCo´s Women
of Color Multicultural Alliance initiative won the 2007 Catalyst
Award. Later in the evening, the 2008 Catalyst Awards Dinner,
sponsored by Shell Oil Company, will be chaired by Kenneth I.
Chenault, Chairman & CEO of American Express Company. Over 70 CEOs and
leaders of major corporations, firms, academic institutions, and
non-profit organizations are expected to attend, along with more than
1,500 guests representing 260 national and global companies.
For complete descriptions of this year´s Catalyst Award-winning
initiatives and previous Award winners, please visit
http://www.catalyst.org/award/winners.shtml.
For media inquiries, please contact Susan Nierenberg,
646-388-7744, snierenberg@catalyst.org, Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden,
ethaller-jorden@catalyst.org. 41-(0) 44-208-3152.
For more information about the 2008 Catalyst Awards Conference &
Dinner, please contact Michael Chamberlain, 646-388-7770,
mchamberlain@catalyst.org.
About Catalyst
Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit corporate
membership research and advisory organization working globally with
businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and
expand opportunities for women and business. With offices in New York,
Sunnyvale, Toronto, and Zug, and the support and confidence of more
than 340 leading corporations, firms, business schools, and
associations, Catalyst is connected to business and its changing needs
and is the premier resource for information and data about women in
the workplace. In addition, Catalyst honors exemplary business
initiatives that promote women´s leadership with the annual Catalyst
Award.
About the Catalyst Award
The Catalyst Award is presented annually to companies and firms
with outstanding initiatives that result in women´s career development
and advancement. Catalyst´s rigorous, year-long examination of
initiatives and their measurable results culminates in intensive,
on-site reviews at finalist companies. The Catalyst Award provides the
business community with replicable change models that are good for
business and good for women. For more information about Catalyst and
the Catalyst Award application process, please visit www.catalyst.org.
About ING
ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering
banking, insurance and asset management to more than 75 million
private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50
countries. With a diverse workforce of over 120,000 people, ING
comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly
serve their clients under the ING brand. In the U.S., the ING family
of companies offer a comprehensive array of financial services to
retail and institutional clients which include life insurance,
retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative
investments, direct banking, institutional investment management,
annuities, employee benefits, financial planning, and reinsurance. ING
holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves over 15 million
customers across the nation.
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan Motor Company generated global net revenues of 10.468
trillion yen in 2006. Nissan is present in all major global auto
markets selling a comprehensive range of cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and
light commercial vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. Nissan
employs over 180,000 people worldwide. Under the Nissan Value-Up
business plan, the company continues to focus on long-term sustainable
and profitable growth driven by three commitments: to maintain top
level of operating profit margin among global automakers, to achieve
global sales of 4.2 million units in 2009, and 20% return on invested
capital on average over the course of the plan.
