NEW YORK, April 2, 2006 — Dr. William W. Alberts, one of the four founders of management consulting firm Marakon Associates and a distinguished academic, died at his home in Lake Forest Park, WA, on March 28 after a long illness. He was 81.

"Dr. Bill," as he was affectionately known, served as the intellectual engine propelling Marakon’s practice innovation since he co-founded the firm in 1978. His move into consulting followed a highly accomplished career as a professor of economics and finance at the University of Chicago, where he studied under Milton Friedman, and later at the University of Washington.

Along with Marakon co-founders Jim McTaggart, Peter Kontes and Jim McGrath, Dr. Alberts pioneered the fields of value-based management and managing for value, which have transformed the management and performance of many leading companies over the past three decades. Although Alberts kept a deliberately low public profile, his ideas found their way into scores of boardrooms, books and articles – as Marakon authors and consultants helped popularize the term "shareholder value" and related concepts.

McTaggart, Marakon’s chairman, first met Alberts after registering for his corporate finance class at the University of Washington. "He was renowned as one of the best teachers on the faculty, but his classes were never completely full due to the enormous amount of work he demanded," McTaggart recalled. "He continued teaching at UW until he was 72, but also worked tirelessly at the firm producing white papers, client decks, training materials until the very end."

Marakon Chief Executive Ken Favaro added: "From the day I met him in the summer of 1982, Dr. Bill was a friend, colleague and mentor. He had an immeasurable impact on the practice and culture at Marakon, and on our clients’ success. I will miss him greatly. We all will."

For additional information, please contact Aviva Tropp at Marakon Associates, +1 212 377 5084.

.

About Marakon Associates:
Marakon Associates is an international management consulting firm that works with senior executives of large companies on the issues that most drive corporate performance and long-term value. The Economist has called it "a consultancy that has advised some of the world’s most consistently successful companies." Marakon has offices in New York, London, Singapore, Chicago and San Francisco.