Catherine M. Engelbert (born November 14,1964) is an American administrator,accountant,and businesswoman who has been the commissioner of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) since 2019. Before joining the WNBA,she had been with Deloitte for 33 years,including as its first female CEO from 2015 to 2019.
Engelbert joined Deloitte in 1986 and made partner in 1998.[10] A year before making partner she had decided to resign to pursue a career outside of professional services;two senior partners who saw her potential helped convince her to stay.[11] As partner she held multiple leadership roles,serving on the Deloitte LLP board of directors and several committees,and in 2014 was appointed as CEO of the audit subsidiary Deloitte &Touche LLP.[12][13]
In March 2015 Engelbert was elected CEO of Deloitte,becoming the first female U.S. CEO of a Big Four firm.[14] News media outlets,including The Wall Street Journal,highlighted Engelbert's appointment as cracking the "glass ceiling."[15] In an interview,she credited Deloitte's early focus on supporting women in the workplace as being important for her career.[16]
While serving as Deloitte's CEO,Engelbert made investments in technology and took steps to prioritize employee retention.[17] During her tenure as CEO,Deloitte's revenue increased 30% to over $20 billion.[18][19][20][21]
On May 15,2019,Engelbert was named the first commissioner of the WNBA (previous WNBA leaders had been titled "president"). She officially assumed her new role on July 17,2019.[22] Engelbert has focused on growing the league,improving the player experience,building on corporate partnerships,and preparing for the renegotiation of the WNBA's media rights. She has presided over a significant expansion of the league,adding franchises in San Francisco,Portland,and Toronto,with future expansion franchises planned for Cleveland,Detroit,and Philadelphia.[23]
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