NEW YORK, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) today announced the appointment of Deven Sharma as president of Standard & Poor's, the Corporation's financial services division, effective immediately. Mr. Sharma has served as executive vice president of Investment Services and Global Sales for Standard & Poor's since November 1, 2006. He succeeds Kathleen Corbet, who is stepping down from her position to pursue other opportunities. Mr. Sharma will report to Harold McGraw III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

"The continual expansion of the world's capital markets presents enormous growth opportunities for Standard & Poor's, and Deven's strategic thinking and deep understanding of global financial markets will help us continue to identify and benefit from these opportunities," said Mr. McGraw. "Deven has made significant contributions to our growth and success since joining the Corporation as head of Global Strategy, and his appointment to lead S&P further strengthens our global growth management efforts and enhances the deep, talented and respected management team that exists across S&P's global network."

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Kathleen for her important contributions to S&P's growth and development during her three years with our company and to wish her well in the future," added Mr. McGraw.

Mr. Sharma, 51, joined the Corporation in 2002 and has held a number of leadership positions within the company. As executive vice president, Global Strategy, he collaborated with the Corporation's Education, Financial Services and Information & Media businesses, playing a key role in developing successful global business strategies that advanced the Corporation's overall growth objectives. He also was highly influential in identifying and leading a number of the Corporation's key acquisitions, including CRISIL, Capital IQ and J.D. Power and Associates. In his role as executive vice president of Investment Services and Global Sales for Standard & Poor's, Mr. Sharma has put in place a strong management team and developed an integrated product strategy to better respond to customer needs, thereby helping the business meet its ambitious growth goals.

Before joining The McGraw-Hill Companies in 2002, Mr. Sharma was a partner with Booz Allen Hamilton, the global management consulting company, where he spent 14 years and led the company's strategy, operations performance, sales and marketing, and global expansion engagements for service-, marketing- and information-intensive companies. He also led the firm's U.S. Marketing Board and Customer Management Initiatives group.

Mr. Sharma holds a bachelor's degree from Birla Institute of Technology in India, a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin and a doctoral degree in business management from Ohio State University.

Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the world's foremost provider of financial market intelligence, including independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 8,500 employees, including wholly owned affiliates, located in 21 countries, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Release issued: Aug. 30, 2007

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies
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