Jonathan Spector was today named President and CEO of The Conference Board

Jonathan Spector, Vice Dean of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, was today named President and CEO of The Conference Board. He will assume his new position on April 16.

The announcement was made by the Trustees of The Conference Board, a group of global business leaders who serve as the organizationís governing body.

Mr. Spector, 50, becomes the 10th President and CEO of The Conference Board, which was founded in 1916. He succeeds Richard E. Cavanagh, who is retiring after leading The Conference Board during the past 11 years. Mr. Cavanagh assumed leadership of The Conference Board in 1995 after serving as Executive Dean of the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University for eight years.

Spector ëPerfectly Preparedí for New Role
ìJon Spector has excellent credentials to lead The Conference Board forward,î declares Douglas R. Conant, President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company and a Trustee of The Conference Board. Conant chaired the executive search committee that selected Spector from some
250 candidates. Added Conant: ìJon is bright, worldly, experienced and skilled at working with people. His work experiences as a CEO, a global consultant and as Vice Dean of The Wharton School have perfectly prepared him for this new role.î

Said Samuel A. DiPiazza Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, who also served on the search committee: ìJon Spector is a splendid choice to lead The Conference Boardís worldwide activities. He led diverse organizations around the globe and is a widely recognized expert in management education.î

Other members of The Conference Boardís Board of Trustees who served on the search committee include: Alain J.P. Belda, Chairman and CEO of Alcoa Inc.; Ian E. L. Davis, Worldwide Managing Director of McKinsey and Company; Nandan M. Nilekani, Chief Executive Officer, President and Managing Director of Infosys Technologies Ltd.; Anne M. Tatlock, Chairman and CEO of Fiduciary Trust Company International; and Ronald A. Williams, Chairman of the Board, CEO and President of Aetna Inc.

Assisting the search committee were two other Trustees of The Conference Board: Alan M. Dachs, President and CEO of Fremont Group l.l.c., and Jeffrey E. Garten, former dean of the Yale School of Management and now a professor in international trade, finance and business at Yale.

Notes Cavanagh, The Conference Boardís outgoing President and CEO: ìJon has a superb global leadership record in business education, strategic consulting and high technology. He is an ideal choice to lead The Conference Board as it continues its unique mission of strengthening both worldwide business and its contributions to society.î

Mr. Spector created new strategies that resulted in recent record growth, and an expanded leadership role for the Wharton Schoolís executive education division. Prior to joining Wharton in 2004, he was CEO of several innovative high-technology firms. These included Seurat Company, a high-tech marketing services firm, now part of the Fair Isaac Corporation, one of the worldís leading technology firms.

A 20-Year Career at McKinsey and Company
Spector began his career at McKinsey and Company in 1980 and was elected a principal in 1986 and a Director in 1992. In 1989, he moved to Hong Kong where he helped develop and expand its business practice in China and Southeast Asia. In 1991, he founded and managed McKinseyís office in Taiwan. Returning to the United States in 1995, he was a leader in building the firmís electronic practice throughout North America, leaving the firm in 2000.

He was Chairman of the Board of the March of Dimes in Massachusetts from 2003 through 2006 and is credited with leading a major revitalization of the organization. He continues to be a director of the organization and is also a member of the National Board of Advisors of the March of Dimes.

Mr. Spector is a graduate of Wesleyan University (1978), where he received a joint degree in mathematics and economics. He earned his MBA at the Harvard Business School (1980). He lives outside Boston with his wife and four children.