NEW YORK, May 17, 2006—Assurant, Inc. ("Assurant") (NYSE: AIZ), a premier provider of specialty insurance and insurance-related products and services, today announced that it has elected Juan N. Cento, 54, to its board of directors. Mr. Cento will also serve on the board's compensation committee.
"We are very pleased to welcome Juan to the board of directors," said Robert B. Pollock, Assurant's president and chief executive officer. "Juan is an accomplished business leader who is highly respected not only for his business acumen, but also for his commitment to the community. I am confident that his knowledge and experience will significantly benefit Assurant and our focus on disciplined, long-term profitable growth."
Based in Miami, Juan N. Cento has been president of the FedEx Express Latin America and Caribbean Division since February 2000, and oversees more than 3,300 employees throughout 50 countries and territories. From October 1994 to February 2000, Mr. Cento was based in Mexico City, where he served as vice president of the Corporation's Mexico and Central America operations. Mr. Cento transitioned to FedEx from Flying Tigers Line Inc. in 1989 when the two companies merged, to serve as managing director of the South and Central America operations based in São Paulo.
A native of Cuba, Mr. Cento is actively involved in several non-profit organizations, including the United Way. He serves on the board of trustees for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and is a member of the board of directors of the Beacon Council -- Florida's Economic Development Agency, and the University of Miami International Advisory Board. He is also the founding chairman of the board of the International Kids Fund, a philanthropic program committed to helping critically ill children obtain medical treatments unavailable in their home countries.
Mr. Cento attended Miami-Dade Community College and Florida International University's College of Business Administration. He currently resides in Miami.
In addition to Mr. Cento, other members of Assurant's board as of May 17, 2006 are Dr. John Michael Palms, chairman of the board of directors of Assurant and a Distinguished University Professor and former president of the University of South Carolina; J. Kerry Clayton, vice chairman of the board of directors and former chief executive officer of Assurant; Michel Baise, chief financial officer, Fortis MilleniumBCP Insurance Group; Dr. Robert J. Blendon, Sc.D., professor of Health Policy at Harvard University's School of Public Health and professor of Political Analysis at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; Beth L. Bronner, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Jim Beam Brands; Howard L. Carver, retired office managing partner of Ernst & Young; Robert B. Pollock, president and chief executive officer of Assurant; Charles J. Koch, vice chairman of the board, Citizens Financial Group, Inc.; Allen R. Freedman, owner and principal of A.R. Freedman & Co., a corporate strategy development firm and former chairman and chief executive officer of Fortis, Inc.; H. Carroll Mackin, principal owner of Great Northern Manufacturing, LLC and former executive vice president and treasurer of Fortis, Inc.; and Michele Coleman Mayes, senior vice president and general counsel, Pitney Bowes.
Assurant is a premier provider of specialized insurance products and related services in North America and selected other markets. Its four key businesses -- Assurant Employee Benefits; Assurant Health; Assurant Solutions and Assurant Specialty Property -- have partnered with clients who are leaders in their industries and have built leadership positions in a number of specialty insurance market segments in the U.S. and selected international markets.
Assurant, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIZ, has over $20 billion in assets and $7 billion in annual revenue. www.assurant.com
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