Carnival Corporation said in a prepared statement that CEO Arnold Donald was named the top-ranked global executive for his strong leadership and commitment to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace and for serving as an inspiring role model.

Now in its second year, the EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Leaders list, presented by the Financial Times, showcases the work of the top 100 black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) business leaders in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland.

EMpower honored Donald with its “No. 1” Ethnic Minority Leader award at a ceremony held in London on Thursday.

It is a great honor to be included in this year’s EMpower 100,” said Donald.

“I share this honor with our diverse team of brilliant and inspiring senior leaders at Carnival Corporation and our 120,000 dedicated employees from over 100 countries who support our 10 world-leading cruise line brands. As the world’s largest leisure travel company with a fleet of 103 cruise ships visiting over 700 global ports, we take great pride in connecting nearly 12 million annual guests with people, cultures and places from around the world to help foster better understanding and appreciation of each other.”

Donald added, “We are also very proud of the diversity of our workforce and believe that the power of diversity of thinking drives innovation, which is fueled by leveraging the knowledge and creativity of our rich backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to achieve common goals. We salute all of the honorees this year and applaud EMpower’s global efforts to encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace.”

“Arnold Donald is a champion for diversity, and a leading example of an immensely successful executive who has made it his personal goal to encourage and celebrate diversity in the workplace, which leads to new ideas, fresh perspectives, and ultimately new growth opportunities for an organization,” said Suki Sandhu, founder & CEO EMpower. “Leaders of tomorrow can learn from Arnold the very important lesson that your ethnicity or background should not and will not be a barrier to your professional success.”

In 2016, Carnival Corporation was cited as one of the “50 Best Companies for Diversity” by Black Enterprise Magazine, which annually recognizes companies that promote inclusivity, including workforce education, board member diversity, senior management, employee base and procurement.