LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The monthly meeting of the Los Angeles chapter of Financial Executives International (FEI) will feature a presentation by Kevin Farr, chief financial officer of Mattel, Inc., who will discuss optimizing business performance. This presentation will include aspects of financial functions, strategic planning, investor relations, corporate communications and consumer affairs. The dinner program will be held on Thursday, September 23, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Reagan Dining Room on the third floor of the Jonathan Club, 545 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.
Farr, named CFO in 2000, has been with Mattel since 1991 and was previously senior vice president and corporate controller. Prior to joining Mattel, Farr spent 11 years with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Farr is a certified public accountant and holds a masters of business administration from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern University.
Mattel, Inc. is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys with approximately $5 billion in annual sales. Headquartered in El Segundo, California, Mattel has offices and facilities in 36 countries and sells its products in more than 150 nations throughout the world.
The FEI's Professional Development Program, which will be held prior to the regular dinner meeting, presents Ken Merchant, holder of the Deloitte and Touche LLP Chair of Accountancy at the University of Southern California. He will present a seminar on evaluating alternative summary financial performance measures. The professional development program will start at 5 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Jonathan Club.
News media may call Lucinda Hill, president, Los Angeles Chapter of Financial Executives International, at 323-727-0900, for reservations.
Attendees are urged to make reservations by visiting the FEI web site and registering at the meetings and events page at http://www.fei.org/chapter/LA/meetings.cfm
About FEI
Founded in 1931, Financial Executives International is a professional association for senior level financial executives, representing 15,000 individuals. Headquartered in Florham Park, N.J. with offices in Washington, D.C., the organization is comprised of 86 chapters across the United States and Canada and nine technical committees.
The organization's mission is to provide leadership on emerging issues concerning the financial community, personal and professional development, advocacy services and peer networking opportunities for chief financial officers, vice presidents of finance, controllers, treasurers, tax executives, and finance and accounting professors in academia. Other typical titles held by FEI members include assistant controller, subsidiary chief financial officer or controller, assistant treasurer and director of tax.
The LA chapter of FEI currently has approximately 400 members who represent a full array of industries including defense, entertainment, financial services, manufacturing, insurance and technology.