MetLife promoted Thomas Stephens to vice president for the company's Northeast Agency Group. Stephens spent several years as a financial adviser with New England Financial, where he was honored with the Edward E. Phillips Award for his outstanding work in the field and is recognized for his community-outreach efforts. He also serves on the boards of Newbury College and The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. MetLife is one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies and also No. 5 on the Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans.

Global Lead appointed Oris Stuart as managing partner and CEO. He joined Global Lead as COO and later became managing partner, helping to lead the team that secured investment capital from Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group to accelerate the company's growth and to provide capital for future acquisitions. Prior to joining Global Lead, Stuart held senior positions with organizations such as Deloitte Consulting and Wingspan Technology. Deloitte Consulting is a unit of Deloitte & Touche USA, No.19 on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity^®.

Baron Carr was named vice president of brand marketing in Carlson Hotels Worldwide. Carr brings more than 11 years of brand-marketing experience to Carlson, encompassing several roles in the financial-services industry. He recently served as vice president of branding and multicultural marketing for Allianz of America, where he helped to recruit a more diverse distribution network and increase sales within targeted segments for Allianz.

Prior to Allianz of America, Carr worked at JPMorgan Chase, No. 9 on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity^® as assistant vice president of corporate marketing and communications. He attended Long Island University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in media arts and an MBA in accounting. He holds memberships in several professional associations, including the Harlem Chamber of Commerce Board and the Screen Actors Guild. He recently earned the Minority Business Executive Award from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in 2007.

David Olivencia and Iván Gutierrez were named Young Hispanic Corporate Achievers by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. Olivencia and Gutierrez are two of only 28 such awardees chosen from a U.S.-wide pool to exemplify leadership qualities, industry expertise and commitment to their communities.

Adrian Hawkins was named the winner of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s annual CEO Diversity and Inclusion Award for 2007. Hawkins began his career at Novartis as a student intern in information technology and later changed his career path to sales. He has been recognized for his ongoing leadership in driving diversity-and-inclusion initiatives at Novartis and in the community. He currently serves as a board member in the YMCA, Summit Area of New Jersey and is the chair of the Oncology Field Diversity Council. He holds a bachelor's degree in information technology from Kean University. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. is No. 16 on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity^®.

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