Adds significant global luxury marketing and brand-building expertise
ATLANTA, Nov. 13, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Newell Rubbermaid
(NYSE: NWL) today announced that Domenico De Sole has been elected to the
company's board of directors, raising the total number of directors to 12.
De Sole, 63, is Chairman of Tom Ford International and was previously
President and Chief Executive Officer of Gucci Group NV. He is lead
director of Telecom Italia S.p.A. and a director of Gap, Inc.
"The addition of Domenico further strengthens our board's global
marketing and operations credentials," said William D. Marohn, Newell
Rubbermaid's chairman. "We will benefit from his extensive global
experience as Newell Rubbermaid continues its transformation into a company
of consumer-driven brands."
In a 20-year association with Gucci Group culminating in the President
and Chief Executive Officer role, De Sole was instrumental in
reestablishing the exclusivity and profitability of the Gucci brand. He
presided over the acquisition of such luxury brands as Yves Saint Laurent,
Sergio Rossi, Stella McCarthy and Balenciaga. He also led Gucci Group's
listing on the New York and Amsterdam stock exchanges. In 2001, De Sole was
honored with the "Special Achievement Award in Fashion and Industry" by the
National Italian American Foundation.
"Domenico's success in transforming Gucci into a global luxury brand
powerhouse is legendary," said Mark Ketchum, Newell Rubbermaid's president
and chief executive officer. "A consummate marketer and retailer, he will
bring significant expertise to Newell Rubbermaid as we invest in growing
our premium brands worldwide."
Since 2005, De Sole has served as Chairman of Tom Ford International,
where he is working with renowned former Gucci designer Tom Ford to
establish a global luxury menswear line. The flagship store opened in New
York City earlier this year, with plans to open additional stores
worldwide.
Trained as a lawyer, De Sole was a partner at the Washington, D.C., law
firm of Patton, Boggs & Blow LLP early in his career. He is a former
director at Bausch & Lomb Inc., Delta Air Lines, Gucci Group and Procter &
Gamble.
De Sole, who was born in Rome, is now a U.S. citizen. He holds a J.D.
from the University of Rome and an LLM from the Harvard University School
of Law, where he serves as a member of the Dean's Advisory Board.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release that are not historical in nature
constitute forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements
relate to information or assumptions about the effects of Project
Acceleration, sales, income/(loss), earnings per share, operating income or
gross margin improvements, capital and other expenditures, cash flow,
dividends, restructuring costs, costs and cost savings, debt ratings, and
management's plans, projections and objectives for future operations and
performance. These statements are accompanied by words such as "expect,"
"project," "will," "believes," "estimate" and similar expressions. Actual
results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking
statements include, but are not limited to, our dependence on the strength
of retail economies; competition with other manufacturers and distributors
of consumer products; major retailers' strong bargaining power; changes in
the prices of raw materials; our ability to develop innovative new products
and to develop, maintain and strengthen our end-user brands; our ability to
expeditiously close facilities and move operations while managing foreign
regulations and other impediments; our ability to implement successfully
information technology solutions throughout our organization; our ability
to improve productivity and streamline operations; the risks inherent in
our foreign operations and those factors listed in the company's most
recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and Exhibit 99.1 thereto, filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. Changes in such assumptions or
factors could produce significantly different results. The information
contained in this news release is as of the date indicated. The company
assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in
this news release as a result of new information or future events or
developments.
About Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid Inc. is a global marketer of consumer and commercial
products with sales of approximately $6 billion and a strong portfolio of
brands, including Sharpie(R), Paper Mate(R), DYMO(R), EXPO(R), Waterman(R),
Parker(R), Rolodex(R), IRWIN(R), LENOX(R), BernzOmatic(R), Rubbermaid(R),
Graco(R), Calphalon(R) and Goody(R). The company is headquartered in
Atlanta, Ga., and has approximately 22,500 employees worldwide.
This press release and additional information about the company are
available on the company's Web site, http://www.newellrubbermaid.com.
NWL-CO
SOURCE Newell Rubbermaid
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CONTACT:
Ron Hardnock, Vice President, Investor
Relations, or David Doolittle, Vice President, Corporate
Communications, +1-770-407-3994, fax, +1-770-407-3983, both of
Newell Rubbermaid
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