HEW Hewitt Associates

Which companies are best when it comes to leadership? On January 9, 2009, organizations around the world will be able participate in the Top Companies for Leaders study, sponsored by Hewitt Associates, a global consulting and outsourcing company, in partnership with The RBL Group, a firm dedicated to helping clients deliver strong leadership and strategic HR capability, and Fortune Magazine. �Leadership talent is in short supply around the world, yet only a handful of companies are able to consistently groom and grow great leaders through the ranks, even in the most demanding talent markets and in the most volatile economic and financial climates,� said Robert Gandossy, leader of Hewitt's North American Leadership Consulting practice. �This study will provide valuable insights on how companies excel at building leaders and enhance their leadership brand to drive business success. We look forward to partnering again with The RBL Group and Fortune Magazine to uncover the best practices of companies that successfully grow and produce great leaders in an increasingly complex and global marketplace.� The most comprehensive global leadership study in the marketplace, the research will examine how organizations choose and develop leaders and determine if there�s a correlation between leadership practices and business results. The Top Companies for Leaders study will rank top companies from Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America with innovative leadership programs. Companies named to the global and regional lists will be announced in the November 2009 issue of Fortune Magazine. Hewitt has conducted Top Companies leadership studies in the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific since 2002. This is the second year it has partnered with The RBL Group and Fortune Magazine. �In up and down markets, organizations with a strong leadership brand deliver value to employees, customers and investors,� said Dave Ulrich, co-founder of The RBL Group. �We are excited to learn through this study how to make leadership brand a practical reality. Top companies for leaders invest in leadership development that turns customer expectations into employee actions. � Participation Requirements All organizations�public or private�can participate in the Top Companies for Leaders study. Participation in the study is free, and companies will receive an exclusive research brief available only to the 2009 participants. The first part of the selection process is simply completing the survey. For more information on participating, please email topcompaniesforleaders2009@hewitt.com. About Hewitt Associates For more than 65 years, Hewitt Associates (NYSE: HEW) has provided clients with best-in-class human resources consulting and outsourcing services. Hewitt consults with more than 3,000 large and mid-size companies around the globe to develop and implement HR business strategies covering retirement, financial and health management; compensation and total rewards; and performance, talent and change management. As a market leader in benefits administration, Hewitt delivers health care and retirement programs to millions of participants and retirees, on behalf of more than 300 organizations worldwide. In addition, more than 30 clients rely on Hewitt to provide a broader range of human resources business process outsourcing services to nearly a million client employees. Located in 33 countries, Hewitt employs approximately 23,000 associates. For more information, please visit www.hewitt.com. About The RBL Group Founded by widely recognized HR and leadership experts Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood, The RBL Group is a global professional services firm committed to creating value through the effective management of people and organizations. RBL works with clients to implement cutting edge leadership practices and to advance the transformation of strategic human resource management. Their clients include top companies throughout the world and across a wide range of industries. The RBL Group is recognized as the trusted advisor to the world�s top HR leaders and their senior executives. To learn more please visit www.rbl.net. About Fortune FORTUNE is a global leader in business journalism known for its unrivaled access to industry leaders and decision makers. Founded in 1930, FORTUNE magazine has a worldwide circulation of more than 1 million and a readership of nearly 5 million and is home to some of the strongest business franchises, including: FORTUNE 500, FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For, America�s Most Admired Companies, Fastest Growing Companies and Most Powerful Women. FORTUNE Live Media extends the brand's mission into live settings, hosting a wide range of annual conferences for top-level executives, including the FORTUNE Global Forum and the Most Powerful Women Summit. FORTUNE magazine�s online home is CNNMoney.com, the most visited and utilized business destination website, attracting nearly 10 million unique visitors per month, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. FORTUNE, along with MONEY, FSB: FORTUNE Small Business, and CNNMoney.com, is part of The Fortune|Money Group, a division of Time Inc, a subsidiary of Time Warner, a leading media and entertainment company.