O-STA

M&A Specialist Christophe Mallard Joins Platinum Team In Europe

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 11, 2004--Christophe Mallard, a business executive with experience in complex cross-border M&A and corporate finance transactions, has joined Platinum Equity as a senior vice president for mergers and acquisitions, based in Europe.

Mr. Mallard most recently served as a vice president of corporate finance at Deutsche Bank in London, focused on equity-linked and fixed-income financing as well as client development.

During his tenure at Deutsche Bank, he sourced global M&A deals, led a major financial and business restructuring in Asia; and coordinated public transactions and capital restructurings as part of the technology M&A team in San Francisco.

"Christophe is a talented professional who brings a wealth of experience to Platinum in both the M&A and corporate finance arenas," said Brian M. Wall, Platinum Equity's managing director for Europe. "He'll play a leading role in shaping our future growth in Europe.

"Over the past two years, Platinum has expanded its European presence with several key acquisitions including NextiraOne, acquired from Alcatel in 2002; Hays Logistics, acquired from Hays plc in 2004; and DyStar, acquired from BASF, Bayer and Hoechst-Aventis in 2004.

"We're seeing a lot of very good deal opportunities in Europe that complement Platinum's overall global M&A&O strategy," Mr. Wall said. "As a senior executive at Platinum, Christophe will play an integral role in cultivating new opportunities and executing transactions that make sense for our business. We're very pleased to have him on our team."

About Platinum Equity

Platinum Equity (www.platinumequity.com) is a global M&A&O(SM)firm specialized in the merger, acquisition and operation of mission-critical services and solutions companies. Founded in 1995, the firm has acquired more than 40 businesses and built a portfolio of operating companies that currently employs more than 35,000 people worldwide and generates annual revenue of approximately US$8 billion from more than 600,000 customer sites. In 2003, Platinum Equity was named the 34th largest private company in the United States. --30--NM/ny*

CONTACT:

Platinum Equity

Los Angeles:

Mark Barnhill, 310-228-9514

mbarnhill@platinumequity.com

or

Paris:

Brian Wall, 33 (0) 1.72.29.11.0

bwall@platinumequity.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA FRANCE INTERNATIONAL EUROPE

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING MANAGEMENT CHANGES

SOURCE: Platinum Equity