PR Newswire announced today that Louis M. Thompson, Jr., CEO of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), will become a member of PR Newswire's Disclosure Advisory Board. Mr. Thompson will officially join the Board in September 2006 upon his retirement from NIRI.

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With over 24 years of investor relations experience as president and CEO of NIRI, Mr. Thompson is widely recognized as a leading expert in corporate disclosure and governance. Among the many highlights of his career, Mr. Thompson pioneered the concept of strategic, integrated corporate communication, promoted the use of non-financial performance measures as a valuation metric for public companies, and was an advocate of the investor relations officer's role within corporate boards. Further, as a member of SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt's advisory committee, Mr. Thompson helped to ensure that Regulation Fair Disclosure would be amenable to corporations while serving the best interests of investors.

Mark Hynes, managing director of Global Investor Relations Services for PR Newswire commented, "It is with great excitement and anticipation that we welcome Lou Thompson to the Disclosure Advisory Board. Over the course of his career, Lou has been instrumental in spearheading the evolution of investor relations from a niche practice to a vital element in how public companies communicate with investors and the public at large. A thought leader of unparalleled expertise, Lou will be a tremendous asset to our Board as it tackles various issues involving disclosure, transparency and governance."

As part of the Disclosure Advisory Board, Mr. Thompson will join a decorated group of corporate, regulatory and investor community leaders to debate current disclosure and governance issues. The outcome of those debates, and overall goal of the Disclosure Advisory Board, will be to advance the quality and usefulness of disclosure, while anticipating the trends that will shape the way public companies communicate around the world.

The first meeting of PR Newswire's Disclosure Advisory Board is scheduled for July 31, 2006 in New York. Topics to be put forward for discussion will include earnings guidance, improving financial disclosure for individual investors, non-financial reporting, XBRL and its impact on disclosure, and the disclosure obligations of small companies.

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SOURCE: PR Newswire Association LLC