Also:

• No. 6 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Blacks
• No. 6 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos

Coca-Cola’s drop in ranking this year can be attributed to its merger with Coca-Cola Enterprises, a much larger U.S. entity with less-developed diversity-management initiatives. The company spent the last year integrating Coca-Cola Enterprises and is arduously working to integrate its diversity strategies.

The good news is that the commitment from top executives remains a cornerstone for driving diversity management at the company. Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent personally signs off on executive compensation tied to diversity, which Coca-Cola reinstituted in the last two years. Mr. Kent also personally reviews and signs off on diversity metrics and progress, as well as goals on achievements for supplier diversity. Steve Bucherati, the company’s chief diversity officer, has run Coca-Cola’s diversity efforts for years and is a diligent and devoted advocate for inclusion. He formally presents diversity initiatives and findings to the board of directors. The company’s executive diversity council meets quarterly, establishes and signs off on diversity goals and metrics, and has rotational positions for resource-group members.

Coca-Cola has 33 company-wide resource groups that are available to all employees. A senior executive is a member of each group, and the groups are used to augment marketing efforts. Additionally, the resource groups participate in recruiting events, bring in experts to speak on panels, and partner with customers on events impacting the community.

Forty percent of Coca-Cola’s philanthropic endeavors went to multicultural nonprofit groups. The company recently participated in the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation.

U.S. Headquarters: Atlanta

Global Employees: 139,600

U.S. Employees: 66,099

Last Year’s DiversityInc Top 50 Ranking: No. 12