Alain Belda Elected to Alcoa Board of Directors.

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 1998--Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that Alain J. P. Belda, 55, president and chief operating officer of Alcoa, has been elected to the company's board of directors.

Mr. Belda is in line to succeed Paul O'Neill as chairman of Alcoa when Mr.O'Neill retires in December 2000.

Biographical information on Alain Belda:

Mr. Belda, as president and chief operating officer of Alcoa, has responsibility for all operating activities of the company. He was named to his present position in January 1997. He had been vice chairman of Alcoa, responsible for most of Alcoa's business units. Mr. Belda joined Alcoa in 1969 at Alcoa Aluminio, Alcoa's majority owned Brazilian affiliate. He held a number of financial and planning positions there until being named president of Alcoa Aluminio in 1979. In 1982, Mr. Belda was elected a vice president of Alcoa. In 1989, he took on the additional responsibility as vice president of Alcoa Latin America, and subsequently, he became president - Alcoa Latin America and president of Alcoa Aluminio. Mr. Belda moved to Pittsburgh in 1994 when he was named executive vice president. He was elected vice chairman in 1995.

He is a member of the board of directors of Citigroup and Coopers Industries.

Mr. Belda was born in Meknes, French Morocco and became a Brazilian citizen in 1982. He studied in Brazil and Canada and graduated from MacKenzie University with a degree in business administration.

    CONTACT:  Alcoa
               Joyce A. Saltzman, 412/553-4467
               www.alcoa.com