Batesville announces board in preparation for spin-off

Batesville Holdings Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hillenbrand Industries Inc., representing the present Batesville Casket Company's funeral services division, announced the appointment of eight individuals who will serve on its new board of directors. Batesville Holdings Inc. will be officially renamed Hillenbrand Inc., on March 31. The new Hillenbrand Inc. board was approved by the Hillenbrand Industries board of directors at its special board meeting on March 14 and will take office upon completion of the spin-off.

"As we embark on our journey as a separate publicly traded company, one of our most important tasks is to ensure we have a strong, well-balanced and engaged board of directors," said Ray Hillenbrand, chairperson of the board, Hillenbrand Inc. "The new directors for Hillenbrand Inc. have the qualifications, experience and capabilities to help us set our course and oversee our operations. I look forward to their wisdom and counsel in the months and years ahead as we begin this exciting new chapter in our history."

"We are pleased to have such a highly qualified, talented and experienced group of individuals to serve on the new Hillenbrand Inc. board of directors," added Kenneth A. Camp, president and chief executive officer of Hillenbrand Inc. "Their collective caliber of expertise and insight will prove invaluable in providing oversight and counsel on our quest to create significant shareholder value moving forward."

In addition to his responsibilities as chairperson, Ray Hillenbrand has also been appointed chairperson of the Nominating/Governance Committee of the new Hillenbrand Inc. Hillenbrand served as chairman of the board for Hillenbrand Industries from 2001 to 2006, and as a board member for 38 years. Currently, he serves as president of the Dakota Charitable Foundation and also serves as a member of the board of trustees of The Catholic University of America.

James A. Henderson will serve as vice chairperson of the board and chairperson of the Management Development/Compensation Committee. Henderson is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Cummins Inc. He currently serves on the board of Nanophase Technologies Corporation and formerly served as a board member for AT&T Inc., International Paper, Rohm and Hass Company and Ryerson Inc. Henderson also serves as the chairman of the board of trustees for The Culver Educational Foundation.

Eduardo Menasce will serve as Audit Committee chairperson and has served four years as a Hillenbrand Industries board member. He is the former president of Enterprise Solutions Group for Verizon Communications and prior, served as president and chief executive officer of CTI MOVIL S.A. (Argentina). He is also the former chairman and chief executive officer of GTE Lighting (France). Menasce currently serves on the board of directors of Pitney Bowes Inc., John Wiley & Sons and KeyCorp and is a past member of the board of advisors of Adventis. He will continue to serve on the board of the new Hill-Rom Holdings Inc.

Other members of the board will include:

Kenneth A. Camp, president and chief executive officer of Hillenbrand Inc., and Batesville Casket Company. Camp currently serves as a member of the Funeral Services Foundation board of directors.

William J. Cernugel, former senior vice president and chief financial officer of Alberto-Culver Company. He serves on the boards of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and Gottlieb Health Resources, Inc. and is the chairman of their respective audit and finance committees. Cernugel also serves as a board member for the Illinois CPA Society and is a certified public accountant.

Mark C. DeLuzio, founder and current president and chief executive officer for Lean Horizons Consulting LLC. He is a former vice president of Danaher Business Systems for Danaher Corporation. DeLuzio currently serves as a member of Central Connecticut State University's advisory boards for its School of Business and School of Engineering and Technology and is a life member of the Shingo Academy for Excellence in Manufacturing.

W. August Hillenbrand, former chief executive officer of Hillenbrand Industries. He has served as a board member for 36 years and is the chief executive officer for Hillenbrand Capital Partners, an unaffiliated family investment partnership. Hillenbrand is a board member of DPL Inc., Dayton, Ohio, and will continue to serve on the board of the new Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc.

Thomas H. Johnson, founder and current chairman of Johnson Consulting Group. He is the founder and prior chairman of Prime Succession, a firm that managed and owned funeral service providers. Johnson also serves as a board member for Funeral Services Foundation and Great Western Life Insurance.