Katica Roy
Award-Winning Gender Economist, Data Scientist & CEO of Pipeline
Katica Roy
Award-Winning Gender Economist, Data Scientist & CEO of Pipeline
Biography
Katica Roy is an award-winning gender economist, former Global 500 global executive, programmer, data scientist, and the CEO and founder of an award-winning SaaS company, Pipeline. CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Bloomberg, Cheddar, MarketWatch, Yahoo Finance, Wharton Business, Newsy, and NBC have sought Katica for her sharp and unconventional take on the day’s headlines. She has interviewed former President Biden, former Vice President Harris, Senators Booker and Gillibrand, former Secretary Pete, Canadian Pay Equity Commissioner Karen Jensen, Sophia Bush, Eve Rodsky, Gretchen Carlson, and Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings.
She has spoken on over 100 of the top stages across the world including major stages at SXSW, CES, Web Summit, and for major corporations such as BNP Paribas, JP Morgan, P&G, Cisco, Google, and Microsoft.
Her high-octane, visionary articles have been published by the World Economic Forum, Fast Company, Fortune, Forbes, Bloomberg, NBC, Entrepreneur, The Hill, The Advocate, Harvard Business Review, and Morning Consult. Her articles have garnered over 2.9 billion impressions.
In 2017 Katica was named a Luminary by the Colorado Technology Association; in 2018 a Colorado Governors' Fellow; in 2019 a Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business and awarded the Stevie Entrepreneur of the Year—Gold Award; in 2020 she was named the Colorado Entrepreneur of the Year; in 2022 a LinkedIn Top Influencer for gender equity. She is a member of Fast Company’s Impact Council, Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum, The Aspen Institute's Tech Accountability Coalition, and the US Small Business Administration’s National Women’s Business Council (where she advises the President, Congress, and the SBA on funding female entrepreneurs).
Pipeline uses advanced technology to make intersectional gender parity a reality in our lifetime. In addition to its core platform, Pipeline launched the first gender equity app on Salesforce's AppExchange. Pipeline was also named as one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2019, Fast Company’s 2020 and 2023 World’s Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company’s 2021 Next Big Things in Tech, and Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas.
Speech Topics
The Pink Tax 2.0: How Tariffs Penalize Women Consumers
Tariff policy in the U.S. places a disproportionate cost burden on women. Women’s apparel is taxed at 16.7% compared to 13.6% for men’s—leading to an annual $2.77B gender tariff gap that inflates to $8–11B at checkout due to markups. With 97% of apparel and 98% of footwear imported, the impact is widespread. Katica Roy uncovers how gender-based price disparities were embedded into trade classifications and what economic reforms can restore fairness, reduce household costs, and improve consumer equity.
The Cost of Silencing DEI: What America Stands to Lose
DEI isn't just a values issue—it's an economic one. DEI is not just about fairness—it’s about financial performance. Katica Roy’s original research across 4,161 companies in 29 countries shows that every 10% increase in intersectional gender equity is associated with a 1–2% increase in revenue. As backlash against DEI efforts grows, Roy highlights the measurable risk to revenue and business resilience and offers a data-driven case for embedding equity as a core business strategy.
Women in Power: The Political Engine for a Future-Ready Workforce
Countries with higher political gender parity see stronger outcomes in education, health, and workforce readiness. Yet globally, women hold only 28% of parliamentary seats and 10.5% of head-of-state roles. Katica Roy explores how electing more women leads to policy environments that prepare nations for automation, care needs, and future labor market shifts.
Authoritarianism and the Economic Rollback of Women’s Rights
Curtailing women’s rights often accompanies a decline in democratic norms and economic performance. A 10% drop in gender inequality is linked to a 1–2% rise in revenue. Katica Roy connects the global rollback of gender rights with weakened labor participation and innovation—and demonstrates how equity safeguards both democracy and prosperity.
When the Government Stops Working, Women Pay the Price
Budget freezes and shutdowns harm women disproportionately. Women make up 69% of the lowest earners and do 2.3x more unpaid care work. Katica Roy outlines how cuts to education, healthcare, and child care disrupt economic security for families—and how gender-responsive policy can build resilience into government systems.
From Margins to Markets: Why Gender Equity is Critical to Growth
Women earn 83 cents to every dollar men earn and lead households with 45% less median wealth. These disparities reduce consumer power and restrict economic mobility. Katica Roy explains how closing equity gaps increases innovation, labor force participation, and GDP—turning marginalized populations into market drivers.
Fixing the Leaky Pipeline: How Gender Inequity Is Costing the U.S. Trillions
Workplace inequity causes attrition, underutilized talent, and massive productivity losses. Katica Roy shows how plugging the "leaks" in hiring, promotion, and pay can restore $3.1 trillion to the U.S. economy. She presents a data-driven roadmap to redesign talent systems for sustainable growth.
The Economic Case for Gender Equity: Why Men Must Be Part of the Conversation
Men lead 90% of Fortune 500 companies yet are often sidelined in equity conversations. Katica Roy reframes gender equity as a shared opportunity. Her research across 4,161 companies in 29 countries found that every 10% increase in intersectional gender equity is associated with a 1–2% increase in revenue. She provides actionable strategies to bring male leaders into the dialogue as co-creators of equitable, high-performing workplaces.
The Cost of Inequity: What Gender Gaps Are Doing to Your Region, State, or Industry
Gender equity isn’t just a national issue—it’s a local economic lever. Closing gender gaps in workforce participation could grow U.S. GDP by $3.1 trillion and global GDP by 11%. Katica Roy tailors her analysis to your sector or region to show how inclusive practices expand economic opportunity.
The Throughline: How Gender Equity Connects America’s Most Pressing Issues
Gender equity is the common thread running through education, healthcare, labor, and Social Security. With 40% of U.S. households relying on women as primary earners, underinvestment weakens entire communities. Katica Roy demonstrates how advancing equity can solve multiple policy challenges at once.
Engineering Equity: How AI Can Help Build the Workforce of the Future
Although many CEOs say gender equity is a top priority, only 22% of employees see it tracked. Katica Roy illustrates how AI can reduce bias across the employee lifecycle, from hiring to promotion—strengthening fairness and business outcomes alike.
The Future of DEI Is Financial: Turning Equity Into Economic Strategy
DEI is not a cost center—it’s a revenue driver. Katica Roy delivers the metrics and market rationale for embedding equity into corporate strategy, aligning DEI efforts with ESG mandates, shareholder value, and long-term economic resilience.
Testimonials
Related Speakers
)
National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), Transformational Leader & Advocate
)
)
Top-Ranked Futurist & 2x Bestselling Author | Solve Tomorrow’s Problems™: Harness Human Ingenuity to Navigate What's Next
)