BEIJING, May 4, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nalco (NYSE:NLC), providing essential expertise for water, energy and air, announced today at a press conference here that Ying Yeh has joined the Company as Vice President and Chairman, Greater China Region to drive Nalco's ambitious business growth strategy in China. Nalco is committed to enabling environmental and economic harmony for its customers in China, as it has successfully done in other parts of the world.
"We are fortunate to attract a leader of Ying Yeh's caliber to accelerate our growth efforts in China. Ying's drive and passion for helping government and business leaders improve the environment in China while also creating economic expansion makes her the perfect fit in this leadership role. In addition, her unique combination of business and government experience will enable her to quickly create improvements for our customers, for Nalco and for our rapidly growing workforce in China," said J. Erik Fyrwald, Nalco Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Ms. Yeh said she is delighted by the opportunity to combine her passion for business growth with her desire to make a true difference in the health and welfare of the people of China.
"I am blessed to have the rare opportunity to combine all of my passions into one, creating the type of harmony for me personally that Nalco brings to the world as a Company with its technologies and services. By providing total solutions for resource conservation and environmental protection, Nalco will play a role in enabling China's transformation into an environmentally responsible global leader of the 21st century with a sustainable future. Through its environmental solutions for water, energy and air, Nalco is expanding its ability to make a fundamental difference in the daily lives of the Chinese people while expanding the Chinese economy," said Ms. Yeh. "In this regard, Nalco is aligned with the Chinese government's goal of improving the quality of life and the quality of the environment for the Chinese people. I am indeed blessed with the opportunity to help make this happen."
Ms. Yeh had been Chairman and President, North Asia Region and President, Business Development, Asia Pacific Region and Vice President for Eastman Kodak Company since 2007. Ms. Yeh joined Kodak in 1997 as General Manager for External Affairs and Vice President of the Greater China region. She served in roles of increasing responsibility before being elected a Vice President of the company in 2002. Three years later she was named to lead Kodak's Asian Operations.
Prior to joining Kodak, Ms. Yeh had a distinguished career with the United States Foreign Service, where she held positions in Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Guangzhou and Beijing, rising to become the first woman to be named Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing in 1995. A graduate of National Taiwan University with a BA in Literature and International Relations, she had also worked as a journalist for BCC in Taiwan, NHK in Japan, NBC in New York and the Times group in Singapore. She is a member of the Board of Directors of AB Volvo and Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC.
Ms. Yeh is an Honorary Citizen of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xiamen in China. She was named one of The Ten Most Influential Persons in Technology (2003), one of The Top Ten New Business Leaders (2003), one of The Most Influential Women in China and Overseas (2003), one of The Ten Most Influential Chinese Women Entrepreneurs (2003), the Person of Outstanding Accomplishments in Business (2003), one of The Top 10 Business Leaders in China (2003), one of China's Top Women Executives in IT Industry (2004), winner of the Magnolia Award (2004) and one of China's Top 10 Business Persons (2004), one of China's Top Ten Business Executives (2005), winner of China Human Resources Annual Award (2005), The Best Leadership Award (2006), one of The Top Ten Business Leaders Award (2007), and winner of the Ten-Year Achievement Award for China Growth (2007).
Fyrwald said the opportunities for Nalco to expand in China are boundless, as solutions offered by the Company are increasingly desired by private and state-owned enterprises.
"In 2008, we expanded our workforce in China by 24 percent, and we continue to hire today. In a short period of time, particularly with the addition of Ms. Yeh, we expect China to grow from our fourth-largest to our second-largest market," Mr. Fyrwald said. "Over the next several years, we expect our growth to enable us to at least double the number of employees in China from more than 500 at the end of 2008, while making meaningful environmental and economic contributions to our customers and the country as a whole."
About Nalco
Nalco is the world's leading water treatment and process improvement company, delivering significant environmental, social and economic performance benefits to our customers. We help our customers reduce energy, water and other natural resource consumption, enhance air quality, minimize environmental releases and improve productivity and end products while boosting the bottom line. Together our comprehensive solutions contribute to the sustainable development of customer operations. Nalco is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. More than 11,500 Nalco employees operate in 130 countries supported by a comprehensive network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and research centers to serve a broad range of end markets. In 2008, Nalco achieved sales of more than $4.2 billion. For more information visit www.nalco.com.
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This news release includes forward-looking statements, reflecting current analysis and expectations, based on what are believed to be reasonable assumptions. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected, stated or implied, depending on many factors, including, without limitation: ability to generate cash, ability to raise capital, ability to refinance, the result of the pursuit of strategic alternatives, ability to execute work process redesign and reduce costs, ability to execute price increases, business climate, business performance, economic and competitive uncertainties, higher manufacturing costs, reduced level of customer orders, changes in strategies, risks in developing new products and technologies, environmental and safety regulations and clean-up costs, foreign exchange rates, the impact of changes in the regulation or value of pension fund assets and liabilities, changes in generally accepted accounting principles, adverse legal and regulatory developments, including increases in the number or financial exposures of claims, lawsuits, settlements or judgments, or the inability to eliminate or reduce such financial exposures by collecting indemnity payments from insurers, the impact of increased accruals and reserves for such exposures, weather-related factors, and adverse changes in economic and political climates around the world, including terrorism and international hostilities, and other risk factors identified by the Company. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Company will meet future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. This paragraph is included to provide safe harbor for forward-looking statements, which are not generally required to be publicly revised as circumstances change, and which the Company does not intend to update.