Acer set to continue expansion plans; record growth rates reported

Stationed in Milan, Mr. Emanuele Accolla will take over Mr. Eric Tien's responsibilities as the Managing Director of Acer operations in the Middle East and Africa.

Mr. Accolla comes to the position from Europe where he will continue to concurrently hold the position of Customer Services Director of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regional operations. Mr. Eric Tien has been appointed as a Special Assistant to Mr. T.Y.Lay, President of International Operations Business Group at Acer.

Mr. Accolla has more than 22 years experience in managing IT and corporate operations in Central and South Europe, and MEA. He assumed several executive positions in leading organizations, such as Texas Instrument, and a European-based marketing consulting firm where he was the president.

Mr. Krishna Murthy, formerly Acer Middle East's General Financial Controller, has been appointed as the General Manager for Acer Middle East and NEW Africa. Before joining Acer in 1994, Mr. Murthy held several executive financial positions in Canada.

"Acer is committed to providing the Middle East with the latest and best computing technology," commented Eric Tien, outgoing Managing Director of Acer Computer (M.E.) Ltd. "And our continued focus on marketing these products into the corporate market has yielded tremendously positive results," he added.

Acer Computer (M.E.) Ltd. has reported strong sales growth in the first half of year 2002 over the same period one year ago, largely owing to its record setting penetration into the region's commercial sector. Acer has achieved a sales growth of over15% in the commercial PC segment, with the server units increasing by over 75% and the notebooks by over 45%.

The company's revenue growth of servers jumped 80%, while its commercial PC sales climbed by more than 15%, and its revenue growth of notebook computers increased by over 35%.

"I am delighted to be taking up this new challenge," said Mr. Accolla. "The Middle East remains one of the most vital strategic markets for the Acer Group. Acer Middle East has, over the past ten years returned record growth rates and sustaining this momentum therefore will be one of my main objectives," he added.

"By taking on Mr. Accolla as my successor and Mr. Murthy as the General Manager Acer has secured a very bright future for itself. Both are extremely capable executives and an asset to the region's business community," added Tien.

ENDS