Novartis recognized as top ranking company in the US on DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list

• -- Number one ranking acknowledges Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation's commitment to and leadership in diversity and inclusion
• -- Reflects a decade of effort to embed diversity and inclusion into all aspects of business
• -- Company believes a diverse and inclusive culture drives innovation and benefits the patients and communities we serve

EAST HANOVER, N.J., April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NPC) has been named the leading company on the 14^th annual DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity listing. DiversityInc announced the results of its 2014 Top 50 Companies for Diversity on April 22 at an awards ceremony in New York, NY.

"We are extremely honored to be recognized by DiversityInc," said Andre Wyss, President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and President, Novartis Corporation. "We have worked hard to make diversity and inclusion a very natural part of the way we do business because we fundamentally believe it drives innovation, moves our business and our people forward, and most importantly – directly impacts our ability to develop lifesaving products and solutions. We are proud of the progress we have made and this achievement inspires us to continue this important effort."

The rankings are determined by an objective methodology that calculates factors such as Talent Pipeline, Equitable Talent Development (including commitments to mentorship and philanthropy), CEO/Leadership Commitment, and Supplier Diversity. The empirical data for the rankings is provided by a 300-question survey filled out by personnel at the participating companies. Survey participation is free to any company with at least 1,000 US workers.

DiversityInc also announced a number of Specialty Lists. NPC ranked second on the DiversityInc list of Top Ten Companies for Recruitment.

"We thank our associates for their energy, commitment and collaboration that have brought diversity and inclusion to life in our organization, to support our patients, customers and the communities we serve. Moving forward, we will continue to leverage diversity and inclusion to stimulate innovation and business growth and reinforce our position as an employer of choice by exploring enhanced flexibility and new ways of working," said Rhonda Crichlow, vice president and head, US diversity and inclusion at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

"The support and personal involvement of company leadership has propelled NPC to the top of the list. With their guidance, the company has made dramatic progress – today, women make up more than 50 percent of the NPC executive committee, including scientific positions," said DiversityInc founder and CEO, Luke Visconti.

For the entire list, go to http://www.diversityinc.com/top50.

Disclaimer
This press release contains expressed or implied forward-looking statements, including statements that can be identified by terminology such as "commitment," "moving forward," "will," or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Group regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such statements. These expectations could be affected by, among other things, risks and factors referred to in the Risk Factors section of Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update it in the future.

About Novartis
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative medicines aimed at improving patients' lives.  We offer a broad range of medicines for cancer, cardiovascular disease, endocrine disease, inflammatory disease, infectious disease, neurological disease, organ transplantation, psychiatric disease, respiratory disease and skin conditions.  The company's mission is to improve people's lives by pioneering novel healthcare solutions.

Located in East Hanover, New Jersey, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis AG, which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools, over-the-counter and animal health products. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2013, the Group achieved net sales of USD 57.9 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.9 billion (USD 9.6 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 136,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis.

Novartis Media Relations

SOURCE Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation