NineSigma Expands European Leadership Team With Two New Hires

CLEVELAND, OH and LEUVEN, BELGIUM--(Marketwire - October 21, 2008) - NineSigma, the leading provider of open innovation solutions, today announced the hiring of two new directors of business development to support the company's European expansion. Edwin Grim and Georges Lagardere will support NineSigma's current base of clients, as well as offer the company's open innovation services to European companies looking to external sources to expand their innovation capabilities. Grim will be based in the Netherlands and Lagardere will work from France. Both report to Andy Zynga, CEO of NineSigma Europe.

Most recently, Grim was a general manager at Dogatti B.V., where he was responsible for the introduction and development of the company's pet products. Prior to Dogatti B.V., Grim served as European general manager for AFB International, a leader in pet food palatability technology; and as export manager with TOPIGS and Intervet International. He earned a bachelor's of science degree in agriculture from RHLS Deventer, a bachelor's of business administration degree from Nyenrode Business University and a master's degree from the Business School Netherlands.

Lagardere brings to NineSigma more than 20 years of high-tech and consulting experience. Prior to joining NineSigma, Lagardere was head of business development for three French start-up companies. He has also served in various senior positions at ATOS Origin and with a major automotive company in the United Kingdom where he was responsible for developing and marketing innovative products and services in various application fields.

"We welcome Edwin and Georges to the NineSigma family, and we are excited about the wealth of experience and expertise they bring to our company," said Paul Stiros, president and CEO of NineSigma Group.

Andy Zynga, CEO of NineSigma Europe, added, "Both gentlemen have proven track records of building successful business development operations at their prior companies, which gives us a great deal of confidence in their ability to increase our reach in Europe. Edwin and Georges have a solid understanding of open innovation and are passionate about working with companies to help them find solutions to their technology challenges."

The new hires bring additional business development capabilities to the service delivery organization in Europe. This is the fastest growing region for NineSigma today with 1-2 new clients added every month.

About NineSigma

NineSigma partners with Global 1000 companies to help them overcome business and technology challenges by connecting them with innovative solutions not readily available in the public domain. NineSigma's open network of innovators is the largest of its kind and spans industries, geographies and technical disciplines. Companies such as DuPont, GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft, P&G, Philips, Unilever and Xerox engage NineSigma to build new innovation capabilities that leverage global research and innovation to deliver greater value to their customers. In 2008, NineSigma ranked among the top 20 percent of companies on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the United States. The company also has operations in Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.ninesigma.com.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Dan Dyer 513-478-7818