STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 27 -- MeadWestvaco Corporation today announced that Peter H. Vogel, Jr. has been named president of the company's Papers Group, reporting to James A. Buzzard, president of MeadWestvaco. As Mr. Vogel prepares to assume this position, he also will provide transition oversight of the finance department as the company's interim principal financial officer. "The company is fortunate to have someone of Peter's caliber to lead the Papers Group," said John A. Luke, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of MeadWestvaco. "He has a proven ability to maintain and develop relationships with customers, strong operational capability and a deep understanding of the financial drivers of the market and the business. "He also has demonstrated considerable ability in financial management, and I am pleased to have his assistance in this area during our current search for a new chief financial officer. "Jim Buzzard has done a remarkable job running the papers business, which outperformed our North American competitors in 2003," Mr. Luke continued. "With his continuing leadership, we will be able to take advantage of the measurable and lasting improvements of last year." Mr. Vogel has been vice president, Corporate Services, for MeadWestvaco since the January 2002 merger of The Mead Corporation and Westvaco Corporation. He made major contributions to the successful integration of the new company, providing institutional support for the achievement of synergies exceeding our original targets. He has spearheaded preparations for the productivity initiative now underway. Until now he has also been responsible for Procurement and Logistics. Throughout his career, Mr. Vogel has held positions in finance, operations, purchasing and logistics. Prior to the MeadWestvaco merger, he was vice president and treasurer at The Mead Corporation. Mr. Vogel joined The Mead Corporation's financial planning department in 1980, and served in positions of increasing responsibility in finance, planning and the company's papers businesses. He was president of both Gilbert Paper and the Zellerbach division prior to being named vice president of Finance and Treasurer in 1999. Prior to joining Mead, Mr. Vogel spent five years with Owens-Illinois in financial management. He holds a B.S. degree in Industrial and Labor Relations and an M.B.A. in Finance, both from Cornell University.