STAMFORD, Conn.- Aug. 30, 2001--Westvaco Corporation announced today that Rita V. Foley, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, has joined the company's Consumer Packaging Group as Chief Operating Officer. Ms. Foley will work side-by-side with Richard H. Block, Senior Vice President in charge of the group, in preparation for Mr. Block's planned retirement in 2003. "Our rapid expansion in high-value global consumer packaging markets makes it imperative that we plan early for succession of our senior managers,'' said John A. Luke, Jr., Chairman and CEO. "Rita brings outstanding skills to her new position and broad experience in global markets. We are fortunate to have her help lead our growth in targeted media, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and health care, and general consumer products.'' Ms. Foley and Mr. Block report to Mr. Luke. Ms. Foley joined Westvaco in June 1999 and has guided the company's increasing use of information technology to support market expansion, customer service and cost control initiatives. In March of last year, she also assumed oversight of Rigesa, Ltda, Westvaco's Brazilian packaging subsidiary, helping that business produce solid results while dealing with difficult market and currency-related challenges. Ms. Foley has also served as executive sponsor for new businesses, including Paxonix, an independent, Internet-enabled packaging solutions company that Westvaco plans to launch later thisyear. Prior to joining Westvaco, Ms. Foley was an independent consultant. In 1997, she joined QAD, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise resource planning and extended supply chain software, as Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Ms. Foley was employed from 1982 to 1997 at Digital Equipment Corporation where she held several senior management positions.