“Kathleen brings substantial experience in the worldwide capital markets and in the global operations of a major financial services company,” said Harold McGraw III, Chairman, President and CEO of The McGraw-Hill Companies. “Her proven leadership skills, market knowledge and operational experience, combined with the strong management team at S&P, will enable us to continue to meet our growth agenda and to make a positive impact on our customers and our markets.”
For more than 20 years, Ms. Corbet has held management positions of growing influence and responsibility at Alliance Capital Management and its parent company, AXA Financial, formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society. During her tenure as head of Alliance Capital’s Fixed Income Division, its assets under management grew to more than $165 billion globally, and it increased market share, revenue and profitability.
She also has been actively involved in Alliance Capital’s strategic planning, global growth and acquisition integrations. Ms. Corbet recently served as Chairman of Alliance Capital Australia and New Zealand. From 1998 to 2000, she was Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Capital Ltd., the firm’s European fixed income and equity research and management division, based in London. Additionally, Ms. Corbet has considerable technology experience in the operations of a major financial services firm. From 1997 to 1999 she was Chief of Investment Operations and Global Trading, where she developed important technology enhancements to Alliance Capital’s trading and back office operations.
“I am honored by the opportunity to lead Standard & Poor’s, which has a distinguished history of providing independent and highly valued analysis and insight to the world’s financial markets,” said Ms. Corbet. “As the capital markets become increasingly integrated and complex, the opportunities for S&P will continue to expand. I am especially excited about the opportunity to work with an extremely talented team at Standard & Poor’s, which provides vital services for the financial markets and its participants,” she added.
Ms. Corbet, 44, graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in Marketing and Computer Science and received her M.B.A. in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Board of Trustees of Boston College.
Mr. McGraw said: “I especially want to thank and recognize Leo O’Neill for his leadership and considerable contribution to Standard & Poor’s growth and performance. He embraced and advanced the principles of independence, integrity and excellence — all core values of Standard & Poor’s and The McGraw Hill Companies.”
A division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Standard & Poor’s is the world’s foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research, data and valuations. With 5,000 employees located in 20 countries, Standard & Poor’s is an essential part of the world’s financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need for their investment and financial decisions.
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than 322 offices in 33 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.
