Acuity Brands Announces Election of Wes Wittich as Senior Vice President, Audit and Risk Management.

ATLANTA -- Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) announced today the election of Wesley E. (Wes) Wittich as Senior Vice President, Audit and Risk Management, effective immediately. Wittich will serve on the Acuity Leadership Team and report to Vernon J. Nagel, currently Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Wittich will assume responsibility for internal and operational audit, risk management, and company-wide business policies and procedures. He will collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop a more effective enterprise-wide risk management process and will also oversee the Company's multiple enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation programs. In addition, Wittich will have a significant role in new venture due diligence and integration planning and in certain sourcing processes.

Prior to this, Wittich served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Acuity Brands Lighting (ABL). He joined Lithonia Lighting in 1980 and served from 1994 to 1998 as Vice President, Finance and from 1998 to 2001 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Wittich is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he received a Master of Accountancy, and of Armstrong State College, where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting.

Vernon J. Nagel, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Acuity Brands, said, "Wes Wittich is the ideal person to provide leadership in this role due to his significant operational experience and technical expertise. Since joining Lithonia Lighting in 1980, he has been a significant contributor to the steady growth and ongoing success of our lighting business. I am pleased to welcome him to our Acuity Leadership Team, where he can continue to make valuable contributions."

Acuity Brands, Inc., with fiscal year 2003 net sales of over $2.0 billion, is comprised of Acuity Brands Lighting and Acuity Specialty Products. Acuity Brands Lighting is a world leader in lighting fixtures and includes brands such as Lithonia Lighting(R), Holophane(R), Peerless(R), Hydrel(R), American Electric Lighting(R), and Gotham(R). Acuity Specialty Products is a leading provider of specialty chemicals and includes brands such as Zep(R), Enforcer(R), and Selig Industries(TM). Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Acuity Brands employs approximately 11,000 people and has operations throughout North America and in Europe and Asia.