The champions of workplace diversity

Coca-Cola's agreement this month to pay a $192.5 million settlement in a class-action, race-discrimination suit highlighted one company's shortcoming on the ethnic-diversity front.

Where are the success stories? Cornerstone International Group, an executive-search organization in Glendale, Calif., just named nine top executives as recipients of its International Executive 2000 Award, based on an evaluation of their firms' hiring and placement practices:

C. Michael Armstrong, chairman & CEO, AT&T, Basking Ridge, N.J.

Sir Richard Branson, chairman of the board, Virgin Management Ltd., London

Rolf-E. Breuer, chief executive officer, Deutsche Bank, Frankfurt, Germany

Jay W. Chai, chairman & CEO, Itochu International, Tokyo

John T. Chambers, president & CEO, Cisco Systems, San Jose, Calif.

Kenneth I. Chenault, president, American Express Company, New York

Carleton (Carly) S. Fiorina, chairman & CEO, Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto, Calif.

Carlos M. Gutierrez (chairman & CEO, Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, Mich)

Charles B. Wang, chairman of the board, Computer Associates International, Islandia, N.Y.

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society