Ball Corporation Board Elects New Chairman, Names Three New Corporate Officers

BROOMFIELD, Colo., April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Corporation's (NYSE: BLL) board of directors today elected John A. Hayes, the company's president and chief executive officer, as chairman of the board. R. David Hoover, who had been chairman since 2002, will remain on the board as a director. Additionally, the board elected Michael W. Feldser, Gerrit Heske and Robert D. Strain as new corporate officers, appointed Theodore M. Solso as the corporation's lead independent director and announced Erik H. van der Kaay's retirement from the board.

"Dave Hoover's legacy established a strong foundation for Ball Corporation, including impressive growth in sales and total shareholder return, as well as the expansion of the company's international presence," said Tim Solso, lead director and chairperson of the board's nominating/corporate governance committee. "Since becoming CEO in 2011, John Hayes has successfully built upon this foundation, and his strategic vision and leadership have continued to drive Ball forward in a challenging economic environment. We thank Dave for his leadership as chairman and look forward to the bright future ahead for Ball under John's direction."

Hayes has been president and chief executive officer of Ball Corporation since January 2011. He joined the company in 1999, and worked in leadership roles in corporate planning, marketing and development before moving to Europe in 2005 and becoming president of Ball's European metal beverage packaging business a year later. Hayes returned to the U.S. in 2008 to become executive vice president and chief operating officer of Ball Corporation. In January 2010, he became president and chief operating officer and joined Ball's board of directors. He became chief executive officer in January 2011.

Hoover joined Ball Corporation's board of directors in 1996 and became chairman in 2002. He served as Ball's chief executive officer from 2001 until his retirement in January 2011, after more than 40 years with the company.

In addition to reelecting all of the current corporate officers, the board elected three new officers: Michael Feldser, senior vice president and chief operating officer, global metal food and household products packaging; Gerrit Heske, senior vice president and chief operating officer, global metal beverage packaging; and Robert Strain, senior vice president and president, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. All were promoted to their current divisional positions earlier this year.

The board also appointed Tim Solso as lead director and announced Erik H. van der Kaay's retirement. Solso joined the company's board in 2003, and most recently served as chief executive officer of Cummins Inc. from 2000 to 2011.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ approximately 15,000 people worldwide and reported 2012 sales of more than $8.7 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit www.ball.com.

Conference Call Details
Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) will hold its regular quarterly conference call on the company's results and performance on Thursday, April 25, 2013, at 9 a.m. Mountain Time (11 a.m. Eastern). The North American toll-free number for the call is 800-268-2160. International callers should dial 303-223-2680. Please use the following URL for a webcast of the live call:

http://www.media-server.com/m/acs/6d64c2d06298319cb52bd34f53206516

For those unable to listen to the live call, a taped replay will be available at 11 a.m. Mountain Time on April 25, 2013, until 11 a.m. Mountain Time on May 2, 2013. To access the replay, call 800-633-8284 (North American callers) or 402-977-9140 (international callers) and use reservation number 21653175.

A written transcript of the call will be posted within 48 hours of the call's conclusion to Ball's website at www.ball.com in the investors section under "news and presentations."

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Corporation