PR Newswire US, July 19, 2005, Tuesday

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PR Newswire US

July 19, 2005 Tuesday 1:53 PM GMT


HEADLINE: John R. Kirksey Joins AXA Financial As Chief Diversity Officer

DATELINE: NEW YORK July 19

BODY:
NEW YORK, July 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AXA Financial, Inc., one of the nation's premier financial management and advisory firms, has hired John R. Kirksey as Chief Diversity Officer to lead its corporate diversity efforts. Upon Board approval in September, Mr. Kirksey will assume the additional title of Senior Vice President.
The announcement was made today by Christopher M. "Kip" Condron, President and CEO of AXA Financial, Inc.
As Chief Diversity Officer, Mr. Kirksey is responsible for the continued growth and implementation of the company's integrated diversity strategy. He will drive development of processes and tools to advance AXA Financial's objectives of fostering an inclusive environment consistent with corporate goals.
Mr. Kirksey will work closely with the organization's business leaders in its headquarters and field locations to implement a strategic approach to building and optimizing use of a diverse talent pool. Through these efforts, he will lead the company in identifying business opportunities, and in enhancing business performance by developing external relationships and leveraging the brand in a diverse consumer marketplace.
In making the announcement Mr. Condron commented, "Fostering a diverse culture at AXA Financial is central to growing our business, serving our clients, attracting and retaining talent and achieving our strategic objective of becoming the most sought-after financial services firm for building a career. I am extremely pleased to have John on board with his wealth of experience and depth of knowledge, and look forward to his leadership and contributions to help us achieve our diversity goals."
"John's experience in developing and implementing inclusion and cultural change strategies spans more than 25 years," added Jennifer Blevins, Executive Vice President and head of Human Resources. "He is widely recognized as a leading authority on the role a diverse work force plays in driving positive business results. We look forward to the benefits of his insights and expertise."
Since 2003, Mr. Kirksey has been President of The Kirksey Group, an alliance partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers that provides advisory and consulting services in diversity, organization effectiveness and workforce change management to a broad cross section of Fortune 500 corporations, including financial services firms. Prior to establishing The Kirksey Group, he was Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Marsh & McLennan.
Earlier, he spent four years as a Partner and Practice Leader with PwC, where he led the Global Cultural Diversity Consulting Practice and the HR Consulting Practice for the entertainment and media industries. Prior to that, he led the Global Diversity and Cultural Change Consulting Practice at Towers Perrin and held senior executive positions at ICMA Retirement Corp., Johnson & Johnson and Knight Ridder.
Mr. Kirksey earned a Master of Arts from Governors State University at University Park, Illinois, and an Advanced Management degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business.
He serves on the Board of Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and has been a guest lecturer at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
About AXA
AXA Financial is one of the premier U.S. organizations providing financial protection and wealth management through its strong brands: AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, AXA Advisors, LLC, Alliance Capital Management, L.P., Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC, AXA Distributors, LLC, and the MONY family of companies, including MONY Life Insurance Company, U.S. Financial Life Insurance Company, Advest, Inc., and Lebenthal, a division of Advest, Inc. (Member: NYSE, NASD, SIPC.) AXA Financial had approximately $598 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2004. AXA Financial is a member of the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial production and wealth management. AXA Group's operations are diverse geographically, with major operations in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific region. AXA has nearly $1.2 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2004. GE-32773 (7/05)
CONTACT: Mary Taylor, +1-212-314-5845, mary.taylor@axa-financial.com , or
Jeff Tolvin, +1-212-314-2811, jeffrey.tolvin@axa-financial.com , both of AXA
Financial, Inc.
Web site: http://www.axa.com/
SOURCE AXA Financial, Inc.