NEW YORK, April 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Diversity and inclusion’s keystone event in America took place at Cipriani Wall Street Thursday evening, as DiversityInc announced the 2015 Top 50 Companies for Diversity in front of more than 900 senior executives. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation remained at the top of the rankings for their second year, while Kaiser Permanente jumped two spots to come in second. PricewaterhouseCoopers, EY, Sodexo, MasterCard Worldwide, AT&T, Prudential Financial, Johnson & Johnson, and Procter & Gamble rounded out the top 10. MassMutual Financial Group and Hilton Worldwide were both newcomers to the list this year.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150113/168844LOGO

“With more than 1000 companies participating, the competition for a spot on the DiversityInc Top 50 and Specialty Lists was up over 30% this year,” said DiversityInc Founder and CEO Luke Visconti. “Companies are recognizing the importance of diversity for corporate reputation – which directly effects millennial-generation recruiting and retention. And whether you’re talking about Silicon Valley, Ferguson, or Indiana, there’s no denying that stories about how far we still need to come regarding diversity have been dominating the headlines in 2015.”

DiversityInc Top 50 companies have significantly more diversity than average American corporations. Compared with EEOC statistics, Top 50 companies have 20% more Blacks, Latinos, and Asians in management, and 13% more women. In the Top 10 the contrast is even sharper, with 41% more Blacks, Latinos, and Asians, and 46% more women than US corporate average. This year, for the first time, the National Organization on Disability tracker was required for the Top 10 Disabilities list.

CNBC covered the DiversityInc Top 50 event and provided the stock market econometric evaluation. “The Top 50 list outperformed the market on a short and long-term basis – which has been the case over the past several years. This shows evidence of the link between excellence in diversity management and superior corporate governance,” said Visconti.

Any company with over one thousand U.S.-based employees is eligible to enter, and there is no cost to compete. Each company’s rank is based on objective analysis of 183 separate factors, based on data from a 300-question survey. The four equally weighted areas of measurement include Talent Pipeline, Equitable Talent Development, CEO/Leadership Commitment, and Supplier Diversity.

“We are extremely honored to be recognized by DiversityInc as the top ranked company for a second year in a row,” said Christi Shaw, President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and US Country Head, Novartis Corporation. “For us, Diversity & Inclusion are an important part of our culture and strategic business focus. Fostering an environment where authenticity and collaboration can flourish enables us to drive future breakthroughs and innovations that help patients live fuller, healthier lives.”

The announcement dinner included a keynote address from Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., whose Rainbow PUSH Coalition has been calling on the tech industry to embrace more diversity as a business opportunity.

DiversityInc also released 13 lists for the following select specialty areas:

• 25 Noteworthy Companies
• Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees (Wells Fargo, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity (AT&T, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities (EY, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Recruitment (PricewaterhouseCoopers, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Mentoring (EY, No. 1)
• Top 5 Utilities (Ameren, No. 1)
• Top 10 Regional Companies (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Veterans (Northrop Grumman Corporation, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity (IBM, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Employee Resource Groups (Merck & Co., No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Diversity Councils (EY, No. 1)
• Top 5 Hospitals and Health Systems (Henry Ford Health System, No. 1)

For the entire Top 50 list, visit http://www.diversityinc.com/top50 or follow the conversation online with the hashtag #DITop50.

The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity Announcement Dinner was made possible thanks to the following sponsors: Abbott, ADP, AT&T, Caterpillar, Cox Communications, CVS Health, Deloitte, EMC, EY, IBM, Kaiser Permanente, Marriott International, MasterCard, Monsanto, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Prudential Financial, Sodexo, Target, TD Bank, Time Warner, Toyota Motor North America, and Wells Fargo.

About DiversityInc
DiversityInc’s mission is to bring education and clarity to the business benefits of diversity. The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list began in 2001, at the same time many corporations were beginning to understand the business value of diversity-management initiatives. The 2015 Top 50 Companies for Diversity results are featured on DiversityInc.com and in DiversityInc magazine. For more information, log on to www.diversityinc.com, https://www.facebook.com/DiversityInc, https://twitter.com/DiversityInc or http://www.linkedin.com/company/26561.