Altria Group, Inc., New Name of Parent Company of Kraft Foods, Philip Morris International and Philip Morris USA.Business Editors NOTE TO MEDIA: Multimedia assets available A photo is available at URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. : http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.012703/bb5 NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2003 Tobacco companies to retain Philip Morris name, Kraft continues as name for food company Philip Morris Companies Inc., (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : MO), the parent company of Kraft Foods Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) is the largest food and beverage company headquartered in North America and the second largest in the world after Nestlé SA. The Philip Morris Company (now known as Altria Group), a company that produces tobacco products, acquired Kraft for Inc., Philip Morris International Philip Morris International, (PMI) based in Lausanne, Switzerland, held a 15.5% share of the international cigarette market in 2005. Its brands, led by Marlboro and L&M, are sold in over 160 countries around the world. Inc. and Philip Morris USA Philip Morris USA is the United States tobacco division of Altria Group, Inc. General information On January 27, 2003, Philip Morris Companies Inc. changed its name to Altria Group, Inc. Even under this new name, Altria continues to own 100% of Philip Morris USA. Inc., today changed its name to Altria Group “Philip Morris” redirects here. For the racecar driver, see Philip Morris (autoracer). Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO) (previously named Philip Morris Companies Inc. , Inc. Kraft Foods will continue to be the name of the world's second largest food company; Altria Group's international tobacco company will continue to be called Philip Morris International; and Philip Morris USA will continue to be the name of the largest tobacco company in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . The change brings better clarity to the corporate structure: the relationship of the parent to its operating companies. These operating companies will continue to grow such globally recognized brands as Marlboro, Kraft, Parliament, Oreo, Ritz, Virginia Slims Virginia Slims cigarette trademark marketed to “independent women.” “You’ve come a long way, baby,” as slogan. [Trademarks: Crowley Trade, 630] See : Feminism and Oscar Mayer. Altria Group will retain the stock symbol "MO" because of its link to the company's reputation in the financial community for performance excellence. The Altria name and logo powerfully express these enduring qualities: its drive toward excellence, its companies' focus on building brands, its passion for success, its openness to innovation, its commitment to its communities and societies, and its focus on its people. The company's stock will begin trading as Altria Group, Inc. on Monday, January 27, 2003. For more information on Altria Group and its family of companies, visit www.altria.com. Chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Louis C. Camilleri Louis C. Camilleri (b. 1955, Alexandria, Egypt) is the Chairman and CEO of Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris. Camilleri received a degree in economics and business administration from HEC Lausanne, the prestigious business school of the University of Lausanne issued the following message to employees on Friday, January 24, 2003. On Monday, January 27, Philip Morris Companies Inc. and Philip Morris Management Corp. will officially adopt their new names - Altria Group, Inc. and Altria Corporate Services, Inc. The change in the name of the parent company of Kraft Foods, Philip Morris International, Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris Capital Corporation is an important milestone in the evolution of our family of companies. It doesn't signify an end or a beginning. Rather, it marks how far we have come and gives us a framework for how much further we aim to go. Some things will change and some things will not. What binds us together as Altria companies and people are many things. Certainly, it is a passion to grow our companies' businesses, to perform at the highest levels of executional excellence and a dedication to doing things well and thoroughly. Also, a commitment to our people - to helping them grow and develop, based upon an abiding appreciation of the enormous value that a diversity of backgrounds and views brings to the building of our companies' businesses. As we look to the future, we see more change, more growth, and more development of our people, our operating companies, and their brands. We also see further development of Altria companies' commitment to responsibility, as we learn more about the evolving societal expectations of each of our companies, and of the parent that oversees them. Aiming higher, reaching further, innovating and growing. The Altria name and logo powerfully express these enduring qualities. The colorful mosaic evokes our enormous diversity, our energy and our operating companies' astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, portfolios of successful brands. When a company changes its name, there is often criticism. But I am convinced this is the right thing to do and the right time to do it. Adopting a new name for our parent company is a natural next step in the evolution of this enterprise, and I consider it a privilege to guide our family of companies through this journey. Note: A photo is available at URL: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.012703/bb5 |
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