GE Names John F. Lynch Senior VP of Human Resources

Business Wire, Dec 18, 2006

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt today announced the appointment of John F. Lynch as Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

Lynch, 54, will succeed William J. Conaty, who is transitioning into retirement after 40 years of service to GE. The appointment is effective Jan. 8.

In his new position, Lynch will lead all human resource functions across GE and will have overall responsibility for executive and leadership development, staffing and recruiting, compensation and benefits, as well as labor and employee relations.

Lynch has been a GE leader for more than 15 years, the past five as the head of the human resource function for GE Healthcare. At Healthcare, Lynch helped to lead the successful integration of two major acquisitions, Amersham and Instrumentarium. Previously, Lynch headed HR at GE Global Consumer Finance, which is now GE Money. Before joining GE, Lynch spent 18 years as an HR leader in the commercial and retail finance subsidiary of Lloyds Bank in the United Kingdom.

"With his extensive global experience and his work in financial services and healthcare, John is perfectly positioned to take GE's HR function to the next level," Immelt said. "Throughout his GE assignments, John has displayed a great eye for talent, a commitment to inclusiveness and a truly global perspective."

Lynch is a native of Scotland and was educated at Blairs College, Aberdeen, and at St. Andrew's College.

Conaty, 60, will remain with GE to help with the transition to his successor and to oversee GE's U.S. labor negotiations in 2007. Conaty has held senior HR positions at several GE businesses and has held the top HR job at GE since 1993.

"Bill Conaty has been one of the great leaders of our Company," Immelt said. He has built a first-class HR organization that has developed some of the world's best business leaders. Bill's steady hand, agile mind and deep understanding of our culture have been critical to the success of our Company."

GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work -- a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.