Cat Announces Retirement, Appointments

Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill., has announced the retirement of Group President Gerald L. Shaheen, effective Feb. 1, 2008.

The company has also announced that the company’s Board of Directors has appointment Rich Lavin and Ed Rapp as group presidents, joining the company’s Executive Office. Lavin and Rapp’s appointments will be effective Dec. 1, 2007.

“Gerry’s leadership has been exceptional, and on behalf of everyone at Team Caterpillar, I want to thank him for more than 40 years of distinguished service with the company and within our industry,” says Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Owens. “Over the course of his career, Gerry has provided key leadership for our global marketing organizations and across Caterpillar's wide range of machine and engine products. He has also worked to strengthen and build critical relationships with our entire global dealer network. In addition, Gerry has set an example in the communities where he has lived by offering his time and talent to organizations outside of Caterpillar.”

Since 2001, Lavin has been a Caterpillar vice president, serving as Human Services Division vice president until 2004 when he was named vice president with responsibility for Caterpillar’s Asia Pacific Manufacturing Operations. He joined Caterpillar in 1984 as an attorney in what is now the Legal Services Division. In addition to his current position in Beijing, China, Lavin has held senior positions in Hong Kong, Bangalore, India and Tokyo, Japan. Previously he was a product manager in the Track-Type Tractors Division, a director of Corporate Human Relations and director of Compensation and Benefits.

Since 2000, Rapp has been a Caterpillar vice president, serving as the head of the Europe-Africa-Middle East (EAME) Marketing Division until 2004 when he was named vice president with responsibility for the Building Construction Products Division (BCP).

Rapp joined Caterpillar as a pricing analyst in 1979. Over the next several years, he held positions related to pricing and production scheduling. In 1987, he became division manager of Planning Support for the North American Commercial Division (NACD) and later was named district manager of the San Francisco district. In the 1990s, he served as the area manager in Johannesburg, South Africa, was department manager in Building Construction Products in Geneva, Switzerland and was then named a regional manager based in Geneva.

More information is available at www.cat.com.