Lear Corporation Names D. William Pumphrey President - DaimlerChrysler Division

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Feb. 28 -- Lear Corporation today announced the appointment of D. William (Bill) Pumphrey to President - DaimlerChrysler Division, effective immediately.

In his new role, Bill is responsible for all aspects related to the automotive interior supplier's business operations with DaimlerChrysler, Lear's third-largest customer. He succeeds Charles Fisher, who left the company to pursue other interests.

Immediately prior to this latest assignment Bill spent one year as president of Lear's Ford operations in Europe and also headed up Lear's electrical and electronics business following the company's acquisition of United Technologies Automotive Inc. (UTA) in 1999. Before joining Lear, Bill held various management positions with UTA over an eight-year period, including the position of vice president of the former company's Chrysler customer team.

"Bill has been instrumental in securing new business, coordinating strategic activities and supporting product launches in a manner that fulfills Lear's commitment to customer satisfaction and shareholder value," said Donald Stebbins, Lear Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer - Americas. "He has established a record for excellent working relationships with our customers as well as the marketing and operations groups in two of Lear's key divisions, and I am confident he will find similar success in his new assignment."

Pumphrey holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Kenyon College in Ohio and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan.

Lear Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Southfield, Mich., USA, focuses on integrating complete automotive interiors, including seat systems, interior trim and electrical systems. With annual net sales of $14.4 billion in 2002, Lear is the world's largest automotive interior systems supplier. The company's world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by 115,000 employees in more than 300 facilities located in 33 countries. Additional information about Lear and its products is available on the Internet at www.lear.com .

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