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CESO Announces Evolution of Its Brand and New Name, Catalyste+

Toronto ON, December 1, 2022—CESO announces the evolution of its brand and the organization’s new name—Catalyste+.

“CESO-SACO, now Catalyste+, was created over 50 years ago to be a catalyst, a driver of effective social and economic change,” says CEO and President Wendy Harris. “We are so excited to be representing that going forward.”

 

In 1967, Canada gave the world of international economic development a good name: CESO. The acronym stood for Canadian Executive Services Overseas, reflecting our approach of matching retired Canadian business executives with entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Over the next 50 years of rapid change, CESO continued fostering stronger economies for better lives. But its work evolved in order to address diverse development challenges and deepen its economic impact.

“Now is the time to modernize our name to reflect this evolution and the cornerstone of our work,” says Ms. Harris. “Our new name and brand better express our purpose and promise, amplify a modern, dynamic approach and simplify how we’re presented around the world.”

 

The spelling of catalyst with an “e” on the end reflects the uniqueness of the organization. When written or spoken around the world, Catalyste+ evokes a shared understanding of a catalyst’s role in enabling a change. The plus sign symbolizes value added and a focus on inclusiveness and sustainability.

“It was important for us to differentiate ourselves from other organizations whose names are acronyms,” says Ms. Harris. “We wanted to be known by a memorable and dynamic name that is easy to pronounce and is the same in English and French.”

While hailing a modern look and feel, what won’t change are Catalyste+’s vision, mission, values, operations and service offering. “We are there to build strong economies to support better lives,” says Catalyste+ board chair Darren Schemmer.

About Catalyste+

Catalyste+ is a Canadian economic development organization. We help people build better lives by strengthening local economies in Canada and in developing countries around the world. Since 1967, we’ve been building capacity with businesses, governments and community organizations to promote locally driven, inclusive growth and sustainable development.