Chris Jones and Nigel Turner Also Appointed as
External Advisors to Enhance Expertise in Growth

LONDON, May 4, 2006 — John Sunderland, president of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and chairman of Cadbury Schweppes plc, has been appointed to the Board of Advisors of Marakon Associates, the management consultancy.

In that role, he will advise the firm on its strategy, practice and growth opportunities. He joins an impressive roster of fellow business luminaries on Marakon’s advisory board: Sir Brian Pitman, former chairman and CEO of Lloyds TSB Group plc; Sir George Bull, former chairman of J Sainsbury plc and former chairman of Diageo plc; Arthur Martinez, chairman of ABN AMRO Holding N.V.’s supervisory board and former chairman and CEO of Sears, Roebuck and Co.; and Frank Zarb, chairman of Nasdaq Europe and interim chairman of American International Group, Inc. A fifth founding member, Lewis Platt, former chairman of The Boeing Company and former chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co., passed away last September.

"With demand for counsel from esteemed business leaders like John more intense than ever, we feel incredibly fortunate that he has chosen to spend part of his valuable time working with us," said Marakon Chief Executive Ken Favaro. "As a former long-time client, he understands our work in advising CEOs and their teams on the tough choices they have to make to win in their industries. He will bring an enormous reservoir of insight and experience to help us with that challenge."

Marakon also announced the appointment of two other external advisors to the firm -- Chris Jones, former chairman and CEO of J. Walter Thompson Worldwide (JWT), and Nigel Turner, chairman of Numis Securities Ltd. They will work alongside the partner group advising on the growth of the firm as well as bringing their in-depth experience to specific client needs in the areas of growth strategy and execution.

"We are delighted to have these two seasoned and savvy executives joining our ranks as advisors," said Favaro. "Chris has broad and deep knowledge of customer-oriented strategy and marketing, which will add a lot to the distinctive expertise we have in helping our clients find new sources of organic growth. Nigel’s vast experience in corporate finance and M&A will add to our capability in the other dimension of growth -- growth through acquisition."

Following are additional biographical details on the three appointees:

John Sunderland has been President of the CBI and Chairman of Cadbury Schweppes since 2003, when he stepped down as Cadbury’s CEO after serving seven years in that position. During his 38-year career at the company, he has worked on both the confectionery and soft drinks sides of the business and has held a variety of senior leadership roles. He is a non-executive director of The Rank Group plc and of Barclays PLC, a director of the Financial Reporting Council, an Advisory Board member of CVC Capital Partners, and a Leadership Council member of Young Enterprise. He was President of the UK Food and Drink Federation from 2002-2004 and President of the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers from 2002-2005.

Chris Jones, former chairman and CEO of advertising giant J. Walter Thompson Worldwide, joined the agency from Saatchi and Saatchi in 1984, running its UK business for several years before becoming EVP of Agency Operations worldwide. In 1995, he moved to New York City and was appointed Worldwide Chairman and CEO, a position he held until he stepped down in 2000. He currently acts as a director for Xenogen Corporation, an advisor to Electra (a European venture capital company) and serves on the Health Advisory Board of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Nigel Turner has been Chairman of Numis Securities Ltd. as well as Deputy Chairman of Numis Corporation Plc since last year. Previously, he was Vice Chairman of ABN Global Wholesale and Investment Banking Activities. He joined the Dutch bank in 2000 from Lazard, where he was a partner for 15 years and sat on its Supervisory Board. He started his career with The Northern Trust Company of Chicago in 1970 and moved on to work for Barclays Merchant Bank as an executive director in 1983.

For further information including photos, contact Chris Matthews at + 44 20 7645 3962 or cmatthews@hogarthpr.co.uk.

About Marakon Associates:
Marakon Associates is a 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.