NASD Selected by CIO Magazine as a Top 100 Company to Excel in the 21st Century

The National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD®), parent company of The Nasdaq Stock Market®, today announced that it has been chosen as a recipient of the 1999 CIO-100 Award. Yesterday in San Diego, NASD Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Gregor S. Bailar accepted the award on behalf of the organization at a ceremony honoring the top 100 companies, as chosen by CIO magazine. In its twelfth year, the CIO-100 Award program recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence. This year's CIO-100 Awards focus on survival and success in the new millennium. "We are proud to accept this important industry award acknowledging the NASD and its subsidiaries as a business and technology leader as we head into the next century," said Bailar. "Improvements in technology are rapidly changing the business landscape and the securities industry in particular. We are pleased that CIO magazine and International Data Group has recognized the NASD as the technology leader among the world's financial markets." According to Abbie Lundberg, CIO magazine's Editor-in-Chief, "The transition into the new economy will be a painful one for many organizations. Those that make it must possess the qualities of this year's CIO-100 winners. They must know their customers, leverage the Internet, invest in people, innovate like crazy and completely reinvent themselves if necessary. This year's honorees have excelled in these areas and their success is well worth celebrating." This year's CIO-100 were selected through a three-step process. First, a panel of 18 academicians, consultants and analysts nominated the companies they felt best fit criteria for being well positioned to succeed beyond 2000. Then, CIO magazine staff conducted extensive research on the 151 nominees via the Web and other sources. Finally, a team of CIO editors and writers voted on the 100 companies they felt best met the requirements. The 1999 CIO-100 Award honors the 100 companies that have best prepared for the new economy and are strategically leading the business community into the next millennium. Complete coverage of the 1999 CIO-100 Awards is featured in the August 15 issue of CIO and at www.cio.com. The National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD), is the largest securities-industry, self-regulatory organization in the United States. It is the parent organization of The Nasdaq Stock Market, the American Stock Exchange®, and NASD Regulation, Inc., which oversees the nation's 5,600 brokerage firms and more than 600,000 registered brokers. For more information about the NASD and its subsidiaries, please visit the following Web sites: www.nasd.com; www.nasdaq-amex.com; www.nasdr.com; or the Nasdaq NewsroomSM at www.nasdaqnews.com.