NEW YORK, May 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nielsen has earned the #32 ranking on the 2017 DiversityInc Top 50 list for corporate diversity and inclusion. This is Nielsen's fourth consecutive year moving up on the annual ranking of companies that excel in hiring, retaining and promoting women, minorities, people with disabilities, LGBT and veterans.

"Combining shared values and objectives with diverse backgrounds and experiences drive growth, strength and innovation," said Nielsen CEO Mitch Barns. "Nielsen greatly appreciates the direction and benchmarks provided by DiversityInc's process, and it is an honor to be recognized for this important work."

Tracking representation, retention and developmental opportunities for employees has been a key factor in the improvements seen in its internal diversity and inclusion practices. For instance, the company's Diverse Leadership Network (DLN)—an 18-month leadership development program created in 2013 designed to grow, mentor and challenge high-potential associates—celebrates a trend where 100% of the program graduates have moved into new roles within the company, with a 95% retention rate. In 2016, Nielsen launched a sponsorship program for high potential diverse talent where even CEO Mitch Barns participates. 

Similarly, the company has created highly successful programs to mentor and support diverse suppliers.  Across 66 countries, 93% of Nielsen's people managers received foundational diversity and inclusion training that was led in partnership with a minority-owned supplier.  In addition, the company tapped a women-owned diverse supplier to provide more than 1,400 Unconscious Bias training sessions to teams across the globe.

As the definitive source of insights and measurement for diverse audiences, Nielsen also invests resources in producing thought leadership on the impact and importance of the population shifts taking place around the world. 

"As cultures intertwine and demographics shift, the products and services that appeal to consumers are also changing," said Nielsen Chief Diversity Officer Angela Talton.  "Our associates help us understand those consumers more clearly, and we are able to help our clients understand them, as well. At Nielsen, diversity is far more than what you see; it is inclusive of diverse ideas, experiences, talents, backgrounds and cultural nuances.   When we leverage those differences, we are able to provide superior results for our clients."

Nielsen continues to release its Diverse Intelligence Series reports bringing attention to the buying, viewing and listening  power yielded by diverse communities, including annual reports on African-American, Asian-American and Hispanic consumers.  The company's Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) authored and published a new report on people with disabilities (ADEPT ERG) and an expanded report on LGBTQ consumers (PRIDE ERG). 

DiversityInc's extensive annual survey yields an empirically driven ranking based on recruitment, talent development, senior leadership commitment and supplier diversity.

To view the entire Top 50 list, visit http://www.diversityinc.com/top50 or follow the conversation at #DITop50.

About Nielsen
Nielsen N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers Watch and Buy. Nielsen's Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services across all devices where content — video, audio and text — is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry's only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen provides its clients with both world-class measurement as well as analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries that cover more than 90 percent of the world's population.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nielsen-honored-as-top-company-for-diversity-and-inclusion-advancing-for-the-fourth-consecutive-year-300450914.html

SOURCE Nielsen