Carnival Corporation issued the following announcement on July 18.

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest leisure travel company, announced its inclusion in the first-ever NAACP Equity, Inclusion and Empowerment Index, which assesses U.S. companies on their commitment to racial and ethnic equity in every aspect of their business and operations. Carnival Corporation was among the companies recognized this week at the 109th NAACP Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas, which coincided with the official launch of the index from the nation's oldest civil rights organization.

In NAACP's inaugural index, Carnival Corporation was named among the highest ranked companies in the travel and leisure industry.

The selection represents Carnival Corporation's inclusion in the Morningstar Minority Empowerment Index, which highlights publicly traded companies that stand out for their commitment to racial and ethnic diversity. Carnival Corporation was selected based on its Morningstar Minority Empowerment score, driven by Sustainalytics assessment of the company in categories including board diversity, discrimination policy, diversity programs, supply chain monitoring and community development programs.

Carnival Corporation's dedication to diversity and inclusion has long been a priority and has excelled under the leadership of Arnold Donald, who has served as CEO since July 2013. A strong believer that diversity drives innovation, Donald has appointed numerous diverse and dynamic leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds into leadership roles as presidents of the company's cruise line brands and in key roles within global port and destination development, human resources, marketing, sales, operations and procurement.

"We have over 120,000 talented and passionate employees representing nearly 150 countries, so we fully embrace the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace," said Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corporation, whose brands include namesake Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn. "Diversity of thinking is a major force in driving innovation, maintaining a competitive advantage and most importantly consistently providing our over 12 million annual guests a great vacation at an exceptional value."

The NAACP Equity, Inclusion and Empowerment Index was created in partnership with Impact Shares and Morningstar to track and monitor indicators that assess racial equity and inclusion policies among U.S. corporations with a capitalization of $2 billion or more. The index is a tool designed to help guide and inform companies in assessing and actively promoting racial and ethnic equity in every aspect of their business, operations and strategy; and to promote social responsible investing in companies with a strong commitment to equity and diversity. Commitment is measured through policies, programs, performance and social impact, with companies judged on their workforces, boards of directors, supply chains and community interactions.

"Investors increasingly are looking for reliable ways to gauge if companies are committed to diversity and inclusion," said Marvin Owens, NAACP senior director of economic programs, "Carnival Corporation is proving, through their leadership and approach to diversity and inclusion, their company-wide commitment to these business principles and market leadership. We look forward to working with Carnival Corporation as we together promote the principles of corporate diversity and inclusion nationally."

Carnival Corporation was named as one of the "50 Best Companies for Diversity" by Black Enterprise magazine for its inclusivity, including workforce education, board member diversity, senior management, employee base and procurement, and was named one of the top "100 Best Corporate Citizens for 2017" by Corporate Responsibility Magazine, ranking No. 23, the highest among firms in the travel and tourism sector and the only cruise company to make the list.

Additionally, in 2017 CEO Arnold Donald topped the EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Leaders List and Carnival Corporation was recognized as a top organization supporting the advancement of women's leadership and diversity in the workplace as part of the Catalyst CEO Champions for Change (Catalyst Champion initiative).

Original source can be found here.