The buzz.

On November 9, 2005, in the first event of its kind, Catalyst convened more than 85 top executives of Fortune 1000 companies, including 29 CEOs, to harness their collective experience, strength, and energy in a powerful effort to confront barriers faced by women in the workplace. At the Summit, which was held at The Fairmont San Francisco, the elite group shared perceptions, ideas, and strategies in an exchange that culminated in the creation of action plans that will form the basis of new gender diversity initiatives. The focused dialogue yielded many compelling insights, but perhaps the most valuable was that, when it comes to women in the workplace, companies from a wide range of industries have a lot in common.

The Summit started with lunch, but the real work began after the meal, as co-facilitators Kathryn Clubb, a strategy consultant and advisor to senior executives, and Jeffrey Pfeffer, Ph.D., the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, helped the group feel comfortable candidly discussing the issues. Building on that foundation, issue-expert facilitators from Catalyst led initial brainstorms about the stereotyping of women in the workplace. Catalyst President Ilene H. Lang then summarized Catalyst's recent research report, Women "Take Care," Men "Take Charge:" Stereotyping of U.S. Business Leaders Exposed.