NEW YORK, May 17 -- Bowne & Co., Inc., a global leader in delivering high-value document management solutions, announced today that Robert M. Johnson, chairman, president and chief executive officer, has retired from the company and the board of directors for personal reasons. The board of directors has appointed H. Marshall Schwarz, currently chairman of the executive committee, as non-executive chairman of the board and Philip E. Kucera, currently senior vice president and general counsel, as interim chief executive officer. In addition, Scott L. Spitzer, vice president, associate general counsel and corporate secretary, has been named general counsel and corporate secretary. The board had previously begun succession planning and has commenced a formal search among both internal and external candidates for a chief executive officer. "I am extremely confident in Phil's ability to lead Bowne through this transitional period," said Mr. Schwarz. "He is an experienced and capable executive, and he is backed by the best financial and operating management team in the industry. We remain optimistic about the remainder of 2004."