The company's forthcoming Annual Shareholders Meeting, scheduled for May 7,2010, will be asked to ratify Esther Koplowitz's appointment. The Board wishes to express its sincere gratitude to Murray Stuart for the considerable work he has done for the company over many years, particularly as Chairman of the Accounts and Audit Committee, a position in which he will be succeeded by Daniel Bouton.
Esther Koplowitz served on the Supervisory Board of Veolia Environnement from 2000 to 2002 and she knows the company well. Moreover, she is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and the leading shareholder of the Spanish company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (F.C.C.), specialized in construction and environmental services. Veolia Environnement and F.C.C. have had for several years a jointly owned subsidiary, Proactiva Medio Ambiente S.A, which has operations in Latin America.
Esther Koplowitz is also Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Portland Valderrivas Cement and President of the Esther Koplowitz foundation, which she founded.