Sir William Castell Named Vice Chairman of GE

FAIRFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 2004--Sir William Castell, 57, today was named Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Electric Company. Castell is also an Executive Officer and a member of the Corporate Executive Office of GE, as well as President and CEO, GE Healthcare. He will continue to be headquartered in Chalfont St. Giles, United Kingdom.

"We are excited to have Bill Castell added to our Board after his recent addition to the GE Corporate Executive Office, where he joined Dennis Dammerman, Bob Wright and myself," said Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO, GE. "Bill is a great leader who understands how to leverage technology. His passion, vision and experience will be an asset to all of our businesses."

Castell was appointed President and CEO, GE Healthcare in April 2004 following the completion of GE's acquisition of Amersham plc. He joined Amersham plc in 1989 as Chief Executive. Prior to joining Amersham, he held various positions with the Wellcome Foundation.

Queen Elizabeth II knighted Castell in June 2000 for services to the life sciences industry. He served in the United Kingdom from July 1998 to 2003 as the Appointed Chairman of the Prince's Trust, a charity set up by the Prince of Wales. In January 2004, he was made Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for services to the Royal Family.

In August 2001, he was appointed a member of the United Kingdom's Medical Research Council and in 2003 he joined the board of the Institute of Life Sciences of University of Michigan. He is a Trustee of London's Natural History Museum and a Visiting Fellow at Green College, University of Oxford.

Castell received his B.A. with honors in Business Studies from the City of London College. He and his wife, Renice, have two daughters and a son.

GE (NYSE:GE) is a diversified technology, media and financial services company dedicated to creating products that make life better. >From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, television programming and plastics, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's web site at http://www.ge.com.