In the wake of L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s recent racist comments proving that racism is alive and well in the higher echelons of power, it’s encouraging to see that there are companies that value the importance of a multi-ethnic work force. DiversityInc announced the results for its 14th annual Top 50 Companies for Diversity rankings before a gathering of more than  750 attendees last evening at Cipriani Wall Street. More than a thousand public and privately held companies competed for spots on the coveted list. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation jumped from a sixth-place finish in 2013 to claim this year’s top slot. Other companies ranked within the top 10 include: Sodexo, EY, Kaiser Permanente, PricewaterhouseCoopers, MasterCard Worldwide, Procter & Gamble, Prudential Financial, Johnson and Johnson and AT&T.

“Earning a spot on the DiversityInc Top 50 proves that management is paying close attention to the needs of their primary constituents—employees, customers and other key stakeholders,” said DiversityInc founder and CEO Luke Visconti.

“Companies with great reputations attract the best and most skilled employees who then create and deliver the best products and services. It’s a virtuous cycle that enables public companies on the DiversityInc Top 50 list to consistently outperform the major domestic stock market indices and privately held companies to surpass their peers.”

The rankings are determined by an objective methodology that calculates factors such as Talent Pipeline, Equitable Talent Development (including commitment to mentorship and to philanthropy), CEO/Leadership Commitment and Supplier Diversity. The empirical data for the rankings is provided by a 300-question survey filled out by personnel at the participating companies. Survey participation is free to any company with at least 1,000 U.S. workers.

“We are extremely honored to be recognized by DiversityInc,” said André Wyss, President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and President, Novartis Corporation. “We have worked hard to make diversity and inclusion a very natural part of the way we do business because we fundamentally believe it drives innovation, moves our business and our people forward, and most importantly, directly impacts our ability to develop lifesaving products and solutions. We are proud of the progress we have made and this achievement inspires us to continue this important effort.”

This year’s survey highlights that the technology sector continues to lag behind other sectors in embracing diversity. While IBM and Dell both earned a place on the list (23rd and 32nd, respectively), Microsoft fell off the list from 44th place in 2013, while Apple declined to participate. Apple has made some headlines in recent months for attempting to embrace more diversity, but the DiversityInc Top 50 makes it clear that Silicon Valley has a lot of catching up to do.

DiversityInc also released 13 additional lists in the following select specialty areas:
• 25 Noteworthy Companies
• Top 10 Companies for Recruitment (Kaiser Permanente, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity (AT&T, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Employee Resource Groups (PricewaterhouseCoopers,
No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Diversity Councils (EY, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Mentoring (KPMG, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Veterans (CSX, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities (EY, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees (AT&T, No. 1)
• Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity (Deloitte, No. 1)
• Top 10 Hospitals and Health Systems (University Hospitals, No. 1)
• Top 10 Regional Companies (MGM Resorts International, No. 1)
• Top 7 Utilities (Pacific Gas and Electric, No. 1).

For the entire Top 50 list, go to http://www.diversityinc.com/top50.