Lorraine Hariton (born November 7, 1954) is the president and CEO of

Catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

, a New York City–based nonprofit organization committed to the advancement of women in the workplace.

Early life and education

Hariton grew up in Long Island, New York. She has described her mother, a teacher who later became a clinical psychologist, as "very strong," and as proof that a woman could have both a successful career and a family. Hariton earned a Bachelor of Science in

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from Stanford University and an MBA (1982) from Harvard Business School.

Career

Hariton started her career in 1977 at IBM, where she worked for 15 years, including in sales and

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roles. She later served as CEO of two venture-backed

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start-ups: Beatnik (1999–2002), which made

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for

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, and Apptera (2003–2005), a

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and advertising company. In 2009, Hariton was appointed by

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to be

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for Commercial and Business Affairs (CBA) at the

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, where she was responsible for outreach to the business community, commercial advocacy and global entrepreneurship efforts, and where she established the Global Entrepreneurship Program, the WECREATE program for women entrepreneurs, and the International Council on Women's Business Leadership. In 2014, Hariton joined The New York Academy of Sciences as senior vice president for global partnerships, where she helped create the Global STEM Alliance and its ''1000 Girls, 1000 Futures'' program, a global mentoring initiative aimed at encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. In 2018, Hariton was appointed president and CEO of Catalyst. During her tenure, Catalyst has raised $28 million toward its major gifts campaign, and has received the single largest grant in its history, $5 million from

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. Hariton has served on boards of organizations committed to the advancement of women in the workplace, including the

UN Women The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women advocates for the rights of women and girls, and foc ...

Global Innovation Coalition for Change, the

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at Stanford University, and Watermark, a

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organization of women executives in the tech industry.

Personal

Hariton lives in New York City. She has two children and two grandchildren, and is an accomplished

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hariton, Lorraine Stanford University alumni Harvard Business School alumni IBM employees American nonprofit chief executives Living people 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople Silicon Valley people American women chief executives People from New York City American women business executives 1954 births