DALLAS, April 10, 2006 – Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) announced today that Robert W. Black has joined the company as chief strategy officer, reporting to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas J. Falk. In this newly created position, Mr. Black will be responsible for leading the development, execution and monitoring of the company's strategy and for helping to accelerate Kimberly-Clark's previously announced initiatives to enhance global competitiveness.
Mr. Black was previously chief operating officer of Sammons Enterprises, Inc., a multi-faceted conglomerate and one of the world's largest privately held companies with more than $27 billion in assets. From 1994-2004, he was with Steelcase, Inc., a global industry leader in office furniture, most recently as President, International. Before Steelcase, he was at McKinsey & Company (1988-1994), one of the world's top management consulting firms, and Baxter Healthcare (1984-1988), a $9 billion medical products and services company, where he held various senior roles from planning and business development to general management.
"We have made good progress thus far in implementing our global growth strategies and are now positioned to create further competitive advantage," Mr. Falk said. "Bob, with his broad experience, energy and expertise in change management, will bring a valuable perspective to our senior management team as we continue to position Kimberly-Clark as a global health and hygiene leader. I am delighted to add an individual of Bob's caliber to K-C at this exciting time in our history, and I am confident that he will contribute to our efforts to deliver sustainable top- and bottom-line growth and to improve returns to shareholders."
Mr. Black said: "Kimberly-Clark is a great company with the potential to become even better. It has some of the world's best-known brands, a strong global platform and a management team and employee base who are determined to capitalize on the company's opportunities by delivering health and hygiene innovations for its customers, shoppers and users. I look forward to working with Tom and the entire team at Kimberly-Clark and to contributing to the company's success in the years ahead."
Mr. Black earned a bachelor of science degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1982 and a master's in business administration from Harvard University in 1984.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people – nearly a quarter of the world's population – trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 134-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com.