Nalco's Bradley J. Bell Named Senior Financial Officer of the Year

Business Wire, May 26, 2005

NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- Nalco Company has announced that its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Bradley J. Bell, has been chosen the Senior Financial Officer of the Year for 2005 by Chemical Week magazine. The award is made annually to a senior financial officer in the chemical industry who has demonstrated exceptional financial leadership and ability. The winner is chosen by Chemical Week based on input from analysts and other financial industry experts.

Bell was cited for his contributions in readying Nalco for its return to the public stock market, successfully completed in November of 2004 just one year after the company was purchased in a leveraged buy out by three private equity firms, Apollo Management, The Blacktone Group and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. From 1997 to 2003, Bell served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Rohm and Haas Company, a $6 billion global specialty chemicals manufacturer. Prior to that, he served as Vice President and Treasurer of both the Whirlpool Corporation, from 1987 to 1997, and the Bundy Corporation, from 1980 to 1987. He has a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Nalco (NYSE:NLC) is the leading provider of integrated water treatment and process improvement services, chemicals and equipment programs for industrial and institutional applications. The company currently serves more than 60,000 customer locations representing a broad range of end markets. It has established a global presence with over 10,000 employees operating in 130 countries, supported by a comprehensive network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and research centers. In 2004, Nalco achieved sales of $3 billion.