 Cathy Benko is the chief talent officer responsible for driving the Deloitte U.S. Firms’ strategy to attract, develop and advance a highly skilled and increasingly diverse workforce. She is also leading a pioneering approach to employee engagement and career/life integration called Mass Career Customization, a signature initiative of the Deloitte U.S. Firms’ Talent agenda. Cathy recently coauthored Mass Career Customization: Aligning the Workplace with Today’s Nontraditional Workforce (Harvard Press, September 2007) and is the author of the Women’s Initiative Blog, which covers life, work and everything in between.
A respected and accomplished strategy consultant, Cathy specializes in driving transformational change. She is also active in the marketplace as the lead client service principal for an Office of the Chief Executive Officer (OCEO) client. Prior to her appointment as chief talent officer, Cathy led Deloitte Consulting LLP’s (Deloitte Consulting's) high-technology industry sector and previously held the position of global e-Business leader for Deloitte Consulting. She previously coauthored Connecting the Dots: Aligning Projects and Objectives in Unpredictable Times (Harvard Press 2003). In recognition of her professional skill and achievement, Cathy has been named one of the “25 Most Influential Consultants” as well as a “Frontline Leader” by Consulting Magazine. Cathy is also the recipient of Consulting Magazine’s inaugural “Leadership Achievement Award for Women Leaders in Consulting.” She has also been recognized several times by both Women in Technology International (WITI) and The SF Business Times, which named her as one of the most influential women in the Bay Area for the past five years. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Deloitte U.S. Firms and the Deloitte Foundation Board, as well as Catalyst’s West Coast Advisory Board and the Board and Executive Committee of the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Northern California. Cathy earned her master of business administration degree from Harvard Business School and a bachelor of science degree from Ramapo College.
My Latest Thinking:
Mass Career Customization: Aligning the Workplace with Today’s Nontraditional Workforce
While many of today’s business leaders typify the traditional workforce, the vast majority of tomorrow’s leaders do not. Mass Career Customization is a wake-up call to corporate America and a guidebook for business leaders. Organizational hierarchy is not what it used to be – nor is the corporate workforce. A shift is already under way – one in which the corporate ladder is giving way to the corporate lattice – and Mass Career Customization is the approach and framework for how work will get done and careers will be built. Connecting the Dots: Aligning Projects and Objectives in Unpredictable Times
Companies are struggling for greater return on their multibillion-dollar technology and project-related investments. Individual projects may be useful, but when examined collectively, they often work at cross-purposes, duplicate one another's efforts or aim for obsolescing business objectives. And, all are competing for scarce resources. In today's earnings-driven business environment, companies must look to their project portfolios to more effectively deliver on objectives and propel the company forward. Winning the Work Force War: Talent Management Strategies for the Public Sector
Cathy leads this live webcast discussing what innovative organizations are doing now to recruit and retain top talent, particularly in the public sector. Implementing a Corporate Lattice Model: Mass Career Customization™
Strategy & Leadership magazine highlights Mass Career Customization™ and the framework it provides for the corporate lattice organization model. Harvard Business Review Ideacast: Customizing Your Career
A Harvard Business Review (HBR) webcast features in-depth interview with Cathy on Mass Career Customization™. Women’s Initiative Blog
The Women’s Initiative Blog, moderated by Cathy, is a community conversation about life, work and everything in between. It is the first blog dedicated to helping define the next generation workplace and workforce, for sharing stories or reflections, posting articles and ideas, and expressing opinions. Harvard Business Case: “Cathy Benko: WINning at Deloitte & Touche Cases (A and B),” Kathleen L. McGinn, Deborah M. Kolb, Cailin B. Hammer: Harvard Business School, September 26, 2006.
Taking on the role of national managing director of the Deloitte U.S. Firms’ Women’s Initiative required a series of negotiations so that the Initiative was designed to achieve the most effective results. These negotiations are chronicled in a set of Harvard Business School cases that is used in classrooms in the top business schools across the nation. | 
