Dentons' Elliott Portnoy and 60+ Global CEOs who pledged to advance women are making progress

Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons and the 60+ other Catalyst CEO Champions For Change, who took a pledge to advance more women, including women of color, into senior leadership positions and onto their boards, are making tangible progress, according to Catalyst’s latest report.

Catalyst's report, Progress in Action: Catalyst CEO Champions For Change, shows the companies—representing more than 10 million employees and more than $3 trillion in revenue globally—improved their representation metrics in top leadership positions and throughout the pipeline for all women over a five-year period:

• Notably, women’s representation on the boards of Champion companies increased dramatically—from 22.6% in 2013 to 30.7% in 2018.
• Among executives, women’s representation increased from 22.5% in 2013 to 25.1% in 2018. 
• Among senior managers, women’s representation increased from 26.4% in 2013 to 29.0% in 2018.
• Among managers, women’s representation increased from 36.7% in 2013 to 37.4% in 2018.

Dentons and the other Catalyst CEO Champions For Change companies are also leading in advancing women of color, a particularly underrepresented group. Specifically:

• In the United States, representation among executive/senior-level managers at Champion companies increased from 4.1% in 2013 to 5.8% in 2018.
• Representation of women of color on boards of Champion companies also increased from 3.8% in 2013 to 5.2% in 2018.

In addition, Dentons and the Champion companies collectively outpaced their global peers in representation of women across the leadership pipeline in 2018, having more women board directors, executives, senior managers, and managers in comparison.

Elliott Portnoy and the other Catalyst CEO Champions For Change boldly pledge to be transparent and share metrics on their progress to hold themselves and their organizations accountable. 

“Inclusion and diversity is core to our business strategy and Dentons Global Chair, Joe Andrew, and I want Dentons to be the global law firm of choice for all talented people looking for a career in the legal profession,” said Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons. “This requires the commitment of everyone to understand that what is better for women at Dentons is better for everyone at Dentons.”

“We are living in a time where people expect the business community to reflect what society looks like, yet we are still far from gender equality in the workforce,” said Catalyst President and CEO Lorraine Hariton. “Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons and the Catalyst CEO Champions For Change have taken concrete steps to create change for women, including women of color, in the workplace. These leaders exemplify the immense power of action, and we are proud and honored to be working alongside them.”