Chief of $6 billion specialized information and publishing company to speak at URI's CEO Leadership Forum April 8 in Providence

KINGSTON, R.I. -- March 26, 1999 -- Come meet the University of Rhode Island graduate who heads a specialized information and publishing company that's bigger than The New York Times Co. and the McGraw-Hill Companies.

Richard J. "Dick Harrington, president and chief executive officer of The Thomson Corp. since 1997, will speak at this year's URI CEO Leadership Forum on Thursday, April 8, at the Westin Hotel, Providence. There will be a reception at 5 p.m. in the hotel,s Narragansett Room, with his presentation following at 6:30 p.m.

Thomson is a $6 billion worldwide information company serving key information-dependent business, professional and education markets including legal and regulatory, financial services, reference (including health and science), education and training, and newspapers. The company includes such recognized brands as West Group, the largest U.S. legal information source for the law practitioner using print and electronic formats, and Physicians, Desk Reference (PDR), the well-known health care publication, as well as some 58 daily newspapers, including Canada,s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail.

A 1973 graduate of URI,s College of Business Administration, Harrington earned his bachelor,s degree in accounting, and began his professional career with Arthur Young & Co., an international accounting and consulting firm.

He joined The Thomson Corporation in 1982 as executive vice president of Thomson & Thomson, the leading international trademark and copyright research firm based in Boston, and was appointed president in 1984.

In 1986, he was promoted to president and chief executive officer of the San Diego-based Mitchell International, one of the foremost suppliers of "must-have information in both print and electronic formats for the automotive repair and collision insurance industries.

Between 1989 and 1993, he was president and CEO of Thomson Professional Publishing (based in Stamford, Conn.), a leading provider of primary, analytical and business information in print and various electronic media for professionals dealing with U.S. and Canadian legal, tax, accounting, human resource, regulatory and related business issues.

In July 1993, he became president and CEO of Thomson Newspapers, was appointed an executive vice president of its parent company, The Thomson Corporation, and joined the corporation,s board of directors. Thomson Newspapers is a marketing and communications company that provides a wide spectrum of information-based products and services in 23 regional marketplaces in the United States and Canada. The business is built around the publication of daily newspapers that have an aggregate daily circulation of 1.6 million.

Harrington chairs the $5.6 million URI College of Business Administration,s Shareholders Campaign to transform the College,s home, Ballentine Hall. He has also served on the board of directors of the Associated Press and the American Press Institute. A native of Boston, he lives in Westport, Conn., with his wife, Jean, and their daughter, Edina.

The University of Rhode Island CEO Leadership Forum is a project of the Division of University Advancement. Those wishing to attend must respond by calling 401-874-2896 by April 5. It is free and open to the public.

If you need disability assistance, please call 401-874-2896 at least three days in advance. For TTY assistance, please call the R.I. Relay Service at 1-800-745-5555.

For Further Information: Dave Lavallee 401-874-2116