American Express Executive Phillip J. Riese Joins GT Interactive Board of Directors
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 2, 1998--Phillip J. Riese, President of the Consumer Card Services Group for American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., has joined the Board of Directors of GT Interactive Software Corp. (NASDAQ: GTIS - news), a leading global entertainment software company.
''Phillip's diverse global business experience leading one of the world's most influential and successful corporations will be invaluable as we continue to grow GT Interactive as a leader in interactive entertainment,'' said Joseph Cayre, chairman of GT Interactive.
''Phillip's addition to our Board of Directors reflects our strategy of attracting proven leaders in their fields whose business acumen will augment our growth on a worldwide basis,'' added Ron Chaimowitz, president and chief executive officer of GT Interactive. ''We are pleased to have Phillip further strengthen and contribute to our board as we move our company forward.''
''I am excited about joining GT Interactive's board for two principle reasons,'' said Riese. ''The first is that GT Interactive has had a phenomenal growth and profit trajectory and I'm looking forward to helping them shape their continued success. In addition, while the target audience and business environment is very different from that of the financial services industry, brand names, consumer loyalty and market segmentation are essential. As a result, I know that I will be challenged to bring my consumer marketing experience to bear in new and interesting ways.''
Riese, 48, is responsible for developing and marketing all U.S. consumer charge and credit cards. In addition, he is responsible for managing the service on both U.S. consumer and corporate cards, customer information management and risk management in the U.S. He is also Chairman of American Express Centurion Bank.
Riese joined American Express in 1980 from Chase Manhattan where he served as Division Executive of the Bank's Merchant Service Division Visa and MasterCard businesses. Riese was a partner in M.C. Geffen Associates, an international consulting firm headquartered in Capetown, South Africa.
Riese holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Leeds University, an M.B.A. from the University of Capetown, and a Masters degree in Management from M.I.T.'s Sloan School of Management.
American Express Travel Related Services Company Inc., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Express Company [NYSE:AXP - news] -- a diversified worldwide travel and financial services company founded in 1850. It is a leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, financial planning, investment products, insurance and international banking.
Headquartered in NY, GT Interactive Software Corp. is a leading global publisher of entertainment and edutainment software under the GT Interactive, Cavedog Entertainment, SingleTrac, Humongous Entertainment and MacSoft brands for personal computers as well as video game systems from Sony, Nintendo and Sega. GT Interactive is a leader in value-priced software under the WizardWorks, CompuWorks and Slash brands. Located on the World Wide Web at gtinteractive.com, GT Interactive is publicly traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol GTIS.
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Contact:
GT Interactive, New York
(media)
Allyne Mills
212/726-4202
or
(investors)
Dawn Berrie
212/726-4235 |
