Baxter, CH2M HILL, Gibbons, and KPMG Initiatives Honored With the 2009 Catalyst Award

The 2009 Catalyst Award was presented today to Baxter International Inc., CH2M HILL, Gibbons P.C., and KPMG LLP for their ground-breaking initiatives that advance women in the workplace. The award, given during the Catalyst Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria and sponsored by DuPont and Shell Oil Company, attracted approximately 100 CEOs of major corporations and firms, and nearly 1500 senior executives and industry leaders from over 200 U.S. and global companies.

ìThis yearís award-winning initiatives represent the business success that bringing women into leadership can deliver across industries and geographies,î said Ilene H. Lang, President and CEO of Catalyst. ìNo matter where we look, whether in New York or Asia Pacific, from engineering to pharmaceuticals, we find achievement through inclusion of women.î

Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods Inc., and one of the 15 Fortune 500 women CEOs, chaired the Catalyst Awards Dinner. ìAs a consumer business, itís essential that our workforce – and especially our leaders – reflect the diversity of our consumer base. Kraft Foods applauds the 2009 Catalyst Award winners for demonstrating that significant gains can be made when organizations set their mind to increasing diversity.

Baxter International Inc.ís Asia Pacific initiative, Building Talent Edge reached its 2010 target of a 50/50 gender balance across management-level and critical positions two years ahead of schedule. Gender diversity is not just a social issue but one that addresses a core challenge for all organizations: talent, said Gerald Lema, Corporate Vice President and President, Asia Pacific of Baxter International Inc. Extensive research and our own experience demonstrate that organizations that allow the best talent to enter, develop, move up and contribute do better. Organizations that move quickly to remove the barriers and become more inclusive overall will be the winners.

CH2M HILLís Constructing Pathways for Women Through Inclusion initiative provides a model for leveraging women employees to achieve business success and accelerate women's advancement. Lee A. McIntire, President and CEO of CH2M HILL remarked, ìWe are so proud that our initiative is the first in the engineering and construction industry to win the Catalyst Award – and even more proud of what this means for our industry overall, which has a genuine desire to improve diversity within its ranks.î

Gibbons P.C.ís The Womenís Initiative: Driving Success Through Diversity Investment, is critical to the firmís branding in the marketplace and generated more than six percent of its annual revenue in 2007. Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Chairman and Managing Director of Gibbons P.C. said, Our Women's Initiative has proven to be a win-win-win proposition. Our women attorneys constantly develop their professional skills, leadership abilities, and business networks – all of which clearly benefit clients and positively impact the firm's bottom line.

KPMG LLPís Great Place to Build a Career initiative uses diversity and inclusion as a driver for change resulting in a culture of career growth, mentoring, and accountability that focuses on a talented pool of diverse individuals. Timothy P. Flynn, Chairman of KPMG LLP commented, ìWe are honored by Catalystís recognition. This initiative, which ensures that all of our professionals, especially women and people of color, are provided the support and opportunities to make the most of their talents and experiences at every stage of their career, has become embedded into our culture. The talent and professionalism of our people is critical to our long term business success and this initiative has helped us expand and develop our high quality professional work force.î

The Catalyst Awards Conference, sponsored by Campbell Soup Company and The Coca Cola Company, provided an opportunity for attendees to engage leaders and representatives of the award-winning initiatives. Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO of Avon Products, Inc. delivered the luncheon keynote address. Avon initiatives received the Catalyst Award in 1988 and 1997. In the afternoon, leading experts on diversity and inclusion took part in panel discussions on topics concerning: the unwritten rules of getting ahead, LGBT inclusiveness, and work-life effectiveness.

For complete descriptions of past and present Catalyst Award-winning initiatives and the Catalyst Awards Conference, please visit www.catalyst.org. For media inquiries, please contact Susan Nierenberg, 646-388-7744, snierenberg@catalyst.org, Serena Fong, 646-388-7757, sfong@catalyst.org, or Jeff Barth, 646-388-7725, jbarth@catalyst.org. For international media inquiries specifically, please contact Susan Nierenberg.