Cabot MMD Establishes Direct Presence On East Coast by Naming Industry Veteran Christopher Smith Account Manager.

AURORA, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 1998--Cabot Corporation's Microelectronics Materials Division (MMD), the leading global supplier of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurries, today announced it has appointed Christopher Smith to the position of account manager, eastern region for North America. He will report to Bruce Zwicker, Cabot MMD's director of global business and sales.

Commenting on the importance of Cabot's direct presence on the East Coast in meeting the escalating demand for CMP slurries, Zwicker stated, "Chris' extensive experience in the semiconductor industry and his familiarity with the Eastern region will be tremendously beneficial as Cabot continues to broaden its direct presence to better serve its expanding customer base. His expertise and management skills will be instrumental in supporting our domestic sales effort on the East Coast, providing more one-on-one contact with our key customers."

In his new position, Smith is chartered with managing all aspects of Cabot MMD's accounts in the Eastern United States and Canada. He is responsible for sales and service support, as well as cultivating and supporting new business development in this key region. A seasoned industry professional, Smith will develop strategies to strengthen and enhance Cabot MMD's relationships with current customers and forge alliances with potential new customers in the region.

An 18-year industry veteran, Smith brings extensive product management and sales experience to Cabot MMD. Before joining Cabot, Smith was with MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. for 14 years where he held positions as strategic program sales manager, commercial product manager, account manager and, most recently, strategic business director. Prior to that, he was an account manager with Philip A. Hunt Chemical Corp. Smith received a bachelor's degree in political science from Bridgewater State University (Bridgewater, Mass.).

About Cabot MMD: Cabot Corp. Microelectronics Materials Division (www.cabot-corp.com/mmd), Aurora, Ill., is the leading global supplier of CMP slurries for polishing oxide, tungsten, copper and aluminum used in semiconductor manufacturing processes, and commands more than an 80 percent share of these markets. Established in 1995, Cabot MMD is a division of Cabot Corp. (www.cabot-corp.com). Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Cabot Corp. is a global performance materials company that specializes in the manufacture of fine particles for the automotive, industrial, construction, semiconductor, coatings, inks and energy markets. Cabot Corp. had revenues of $1.6 billion in 1997. Its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CBT.