John W. Conway, CEO, Elected Chairman of Crown Cork & Seal; Alan W. Rutherford, CFO, Elected Vice-Chairman

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc. (NYSE: CCK) (Paris Bourse: CCK): announced today that John W. Conway, 55, has been elected Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors, effective immediately. He succeeds William J. Avery, a long time Chairman of the Company who retired. This action is consistent with the Company's stated leadership succession plan.

Mr. Conway has been with Crown for 26 years in positions of increasing responsibility for both domestic and international operations. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer following Mr. Avery's retirement from that position in January. He has been a member of the Company's Board of Directors since 1997.

The Company also announced that Alan W. Rutherford, its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, was elected to serve as Vice-Chairman of the Company's Board. Mr. Rutherford, 57, has been with Crown for 27 years. During his tenure as Chief Financial Officer, the Company has grown to more than $7 billion in sales. Mr. Rutherford previously held a variety of senior management positions within the Company's European operations and has been a member of the Company's Board of Directors since 1991.

Crown Cork & Seal is the leading supplier of packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world. World headquarters are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
SOURCE Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc.
Web site: http: //www.crowncork.com
CONTACT: Timothy J. Donahue, Senior Vice President - Finance of Crown Cork & Seal, 215-698-5088