Cardinal Health Named One of the NAFE Top 50 Companies for Executive Women in 2013

DUBLIN, Ohio, Feb. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) named Cardinal Health as one of the NAFE Top 50 Companies for Executive Women for 2013.

The NAFE Top 50 Companies lead the nation in their commitment to female leadership and lead corporate America in recruiting, retaining and advancing women. In naming Cardinal Health to the Top 50, NAFE pointed specifically to the Cardinal Health Women's Initiative Network and its nationwide mentoring program, which helps to accelerate change for women across the entire system ─ working to emphasize accountability for diverse hiring, introducing courses on implicit association for senior managers and executives, and supporting female-friendly leadership programs.

"At Cardinal Health, our hiring, promotion and talent management programs are designed to enable the full representation of women and keep our talent pipeline filled – not simply because it's the right thing to do, but because we understand that diversity enables greater innovation and better business results," said George Barrett, chairman and chief executive officer of Cardinal Health.

The 2013 NAFE Top 50 Companies application includes more than 200 questions regarding female representation at all levels, but especially the corporate officer and profit-and-loss leadership ranks. The application also tracks access and usage of programs and policies that promote the advancement of women, as well as the training and accountability of managers in relation to the number of women who advance. To be considered, companies must have a minimum of two women on their boards of directors as well as at least 1000 employees in the U.S.

Carol Evans, CEO of NAFE and president of Working Mother Media points out that, "The NAFE Top 50 Companies are major employers committed to hiring, retaining and promoting executive women. They know that gender diversity at the top leads to a healthy bottom line. We are proud to honor companies who place women in leadership positions."

"This year we see measurable progress for women at companies that have made their advancement a priority, a smart strategy given the growing research that correlates greater numbers of women in top positions with higher revenues," says NAFE President Betty Spence. "For women, these are the top companies to work for."

A complete list of the 2013 NAFE Top 50 Companies for Executive Women is available online. The complete report is published in the February/March issue of Working Mother.

About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $108 billion health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices focus on patient care while  reducing costs, enhancing efficiency and improving quality. Cardinal Health is an essential link in the health care supply chain, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 60,000 locations each day. The company is also a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products. In addition, the company supports the growing diagnostic industry by supplying medical products to clinical laboratories and operating the nation's largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Ranked #21 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 30,000 people worldwide. More information about the company may be found at cardinalhealth.com and @CardinalHealth on Twitter.

About NAFE
The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), founded in 1972, serves 20,000 members nationwide with networking, tools and solutions to strengthen and grow their careers and businesses. Working Mother magazine publishes the annual NAFE Top 50 list.  NAFE.com provides up-to-date information, community for women in business and access to member benefits. NAFE is a division of Working Mother Media, owned by the Bonnier Corporation.

SOURCE Cardinal Health