Business Objects Names Jim Tolonen as New Chief Financial Officer.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif. and PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 2002

Business Objects (NASDAQ: BOBJ)(Euronext Paris Euroclear Code 12074), the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced that it has named Jim Tolonen to the position of chief financial officer, effective January 1, 2003. In this position, Tolonen will be responsible for all company finance and administration functions. He will succeed Thom Weatherford, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Tolonen will report to Bernard Liautaud, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Business Objects, and will be based in the company's San Jose, California office.

Tolonen has 30 years of experience in finance and financial management. He was chief financial officer and a member of the Office of the President at Novell from 1989 to 1998, a time when the company grew revenue from $350 million to $2 billion annually. From 1999 to the present, he has served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer of IGN Entertainment, an internet media company operating an information and entertainment destination for video gamers.

Tolonen holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Finance and Accounting from the University of Michigan, and is a certified public accountant.

"I am extremely pleased to have an experienced and successful professional of Jim's caliber join our executive management team," said Bernard Liautaud, chairman and CEO of Business Objects. "He has an excellent financial management background, and the strong principles that closely match our tradition of conservative financial practices."

"I believe Business Objects is at the forefront of the most important development in the software industry, that of accessing and analyzing information to improve business performance and profitability," said Tolonen. "I am looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to the company's continued growth and success."

About Business Objects

Business Objects is the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions. Business intelligence lets organizations access, analyze, and share information internally with employees and externally with customers, suppliers, and partners. It helps organizations improve operational efficiency, build profitable customer relationships, and develop differentiated product offerings.

The company's products include data integration tools, the industry's leading integrated business intelligence platform, and a suite of enterprise analytic applications. Business Objects is the first to offer a complete BI solution that is composed of best-of-breed components, giving organizations the means to deploy end-to-end BI to the enterprise, from data extraction to analytic applications.

Business Objects has more than 16,500 customers in over 80 countries. The company's stock is publicly traded under the ticker symbols NASDAQ: BOBJ and Euronext Paris (Euroclear code 12074). It is included in the SBF 120 and IT CAC 50 French stock market indexes. Business Objects can be reached at 408-953-6000 and www.businessobjects.com.

Note to Editors: BusinessObjects is a trademark of Business Objects S.A. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.