University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business Professor First to Hold Thomas H. O'Brien Chair in Strategy

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business has named Pitt Professor of Business Administration John E. Prescott the inaugural holder of an endowed chair created through a generous gift from The PNC Foundation. The Thomas H. O'Brien Chair in Strategy was created following O'Brien's retirement as CEO of PNC Financial Services Group to honor his nearly four decades of service to PNC and his longstanding friendship with the University of Pittsburgh.

O'Brien is "one of Southwestern Pennsylvania's favorite sons, a person who has generously invested his time and talent in a broad range of community initiatives," said Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg. "The University is very fortunate to be linked in such a visible way with a high-achieving and highly respected leader like Tom O'Brien, and we are deeply grateful to The PNC Foundation for making that possible."

Nordenberg appointed Prescott to his new position upon the recommendations of Katz School Dean Frederick Winter and Pitt Provost James V. Maher.

"Professor Prescott has had a distinguished career in the field of strategic management," said Winter. "He is a national authority on the topic of competitive intelligence and has founded a highly respected journal in this discipline. He is known not only for being a national expert in the area of corporate strategy, but also as a mentor whose list of doctoral students reads like a 'Who's Who' in the field."

Prescott's research focuses on competitor analysis, networks, and international business. He was named this month to a second term on the Board of Directors of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, an organization he founded. In addition to journal articles, his publications include his two most recent books—Competitive Intelligence: A Guide for Your Journey to Best-Practice Processes (APQC, 2004) and Proven Strategies in Competitive Intelligence: Lessons from the Trenches (John Wiley & Sons, 2001).

O'Brien, a Pittsburgh native, is a long-term member of the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees and a member of the steering committee for the University's $1 billion Discover a World of Possibilities fundraising campaign, as well as a member of the Katz School's Board of Visitors. He began his career at PNC in 1962 in its commercial loan department and, by 1988, had been appointed PNC chair, president, and CEO. He retired as CEO in 2000.

The O'Brien Professorship represents part of an ongoing relationship between the Katz School and PNC, which employs about 200 Katz School graduates. PNC executives, including PNC Chair and CEO James E. Rohr and Regional President and University Trustee Sy Holzer, have been active in the graduate school, supporting efforts related to development and curriculum. The financial services firm also supported the PNC Technology Center to enhance the Katz School's team-oriented educational approach with the very latest in technology and other leading resources.

###

3/4/05/tmw