Press Releases: National
March 17, 2009
Kaiser Permanente Ranked No. 7 on DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity®
Kaiser Permanente was also ranked No. 1 on DiversityInc's Top 10 Companies for Latinos, No. 5 on DiversityInc's Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities, and No. 7 on DiversityInc's Top 10 Companies for Executive Women
OAKLAND, Calif. – Kaiser Permanente was ranked No. 7 on the 2009 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list and was the only health care organization ranked in the top 20 of this prestigious list.
A total of 401 companies, an increase of 14 percent from last year, vied for the honor this year, underscoring the increasing emphasis on diversity management among progressive companies.
"At Kaiser Permanente, diversity management is a core value and an indisputable business imperative that is central to achieving our mission and business goals," says Ronald Knox, senior vice president and chief diversity officer at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. "We are grateful for DiversityInc's recognition of our diversity efforts and commitment and honored to be included among the nation’s corporate leaders in diversity."
"Kaiser Permanente is one of the unsung heroes in corporate diversity. It's been a diversity leader for many years, the type of company others quietly sought out for diversity advice and best practices. Its surge on this list is indicative of its increasing ability to let the world, including us, in on what makes it such a great company for diversity," said Luke Visconti, CEO of DiversityInc.
A key factor in Kaiser Permanente's success was the involvement of chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, George C. Halvorson, whose direct reports are 14.3 percent Black, 14.3 Asian American, 4.8 percent Latino and 42.9 percent women. Kaiser Permanente also has one of the most diverse boards anywhere: 21 percent Black, 14.5 percent Latino, 14.5 percent Asian American and 36 percent women.
Methodology
The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list is a purely editorial process with no connection to business done with DiversityInc. It is determined entirely by a statistical analysis of responses to our 200-question survey. There is no fee to enter. DiversityInc Top 50 companies demonstrate consistent strength in four areas: CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Corporate and Organizational Communications, and Supplier Diversity. The list itself covers 19 industries, from consumer-facing companies to B-to-B's to industrial businesses. They range from small regional companies to global giants.
DiversityInc also compiles 11 specialty lists, which will be unveiled on www.DiversityInc.com on these dates: The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention (March 23), The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity (March 30), The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for African Americans (April 6), The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos (April 13), The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans (April 20), The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees (April 27), The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities (May 4), The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Executive Women (May 11), The DiversityInc Top 10 Global Diversity Companies (May 18), The DiversityInc Top Utilities (May 26) and DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies (June 1).
For more detailed information, please visit www.DiversityInc.com/top50.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
