FTSE Xinhua Index Appoints New Managing Director

FTSE Xinhua Index Appoints New Managing Director

January 08, 2007

    LONDON, HONG KONG & SHANGHAI, Jan. 8
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- FTSE Group and Xinhua Finance have
appointed Norman Yen as Managing Director of their joint
venture, FTSE Xinhua Index (FXI), effective December 15,
2006. Norman is to oversee the operations, sales and
marketing functions of FXI to further strengthen the index
provider's position of market leadership, as indicated by
its 46.8% market share among China equity index providers
for new fund issues in 2006 (Source: Wind Information; in
terms of number of funds benchmarking FXI).

    Norman joins FXI from his most recent position as
Managing Director of SunGard China, based in Beijing, where
he was instrumental in firmly establishing the company's
operations in China.  Previously, he was Principal at
PricewaterhouseCoopers, responsible for driving the
successful development of its financial consulting practice
in Asia, while undertaking a variety of consultancy projects
for Fortune 500 clients operating in the areas of finance,
banking, insurance and investment.

    Based in Shanghai, Norman succeeds Zhu Shan, who was
the first Managing Director of FXI and who has been
promoted to another important position of COO within a
division of Xinhua Finance.  As the first Managing Director
of FXI, Zhu Shan was pivotal in successfully growing the
business from a start-up company to its present status as
market leader among China equity index providers. 

    Commenting on the appointment, Chief Executive of FTSE
Group and Co-chairperson of FXI, Mr. Mark Makepeace said,
"Norman's management capability and seasoned
leadership in international business will be a great asset
to further develop FXI, both in China and overseas. He has
a strong track record of building important and long
lasting business relationships which will help fortify
FXI's leading position in the China marketplace."

    Ms. Fredy Bush, CEO of Xinhua Finance and
Co-Chairperson of FXI, added, "We believe that, with
the solid foundation laid by Zhu Shan, Norman will be able
to drive our index business to another new height by taking
advantage of his strategic thinking and special expertise in
the financial sector. This new appointment accords well with
our continued commitment to providing domestic and
international investment communities with the best
investment tools and assisting with the ongoing growth of
China's capital market".

    More information about FTSE Xinhua Index Ltd and its
product suite is available at http://www.ftsexinhua.com or
from the press offices below. 

    Notes to Editors

    About FTSE Xinhua Index 

    Established in late 2000, FTSE Xinhua Index (FXI), a
joint venture between Xinhua Finance Limited and FTSE, came
into being to facilitate the creation of real-time indices
for the Chinese market. The indices can be used as a basis
for the trading of derivatives, index-tracking funds,
Exchange Traded Funds and as performance benchmarks. The
combination of FTSE's expertise in international indexing
with Xinhua Finance's strong presence and capabilities in
China creates a level of expertise in the Chinese market
that is unprecedented. Providing the combined coverage for
the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges, all of the FTSE Xinhua
indices are designed according to internationally proven
index methodology to ensure products are transparent, clear
and consistent. For daily data and further information,
please visit http://www.ftsexinhua.com .

    About FTSE Group

    FTSE Group is a world-leader in the creation and
management of indexes. With offices in Beijing, London,
Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Madrid, Paris, New York, San
Francisco, Boston, Shanghai and Tokyo, FTSE Group services
clients in 77 countries worldwide.  It calculates and
manages the FTSE Global Equity Index Series, which includes
world-recognized indexes ranging from the FTSE All-World
Index, the FTSE4Good series and the FTSEurofirst Index
series, as well as domestic indexes such as the prestigious
FTSE 100. The company has collaborative arrangements with
the Athens, AMEX, Cyprus, Euronext, Johannesburg London,
Madrid, NASDAQ, Taiwan and Thailand exchanges, as well as
Nomura Securities, Hang Seng and Xinhua Finance of China.
FTSE also has a collaborative agreement with Dow Jones
Indexes to develop a single sector classification system
for global investors.

    FTSE indexes are used extensively by investors
world-wide for investment analysis, performance
measurement, asset allocation, portfolio hedging and for
creating a wide range of index tracking funds. Independent
committees of senior fund managers, derivatives experts,
actuaries and other experienced practitioners review all
changes to the indexes to ensure that they are made
objectively and without bias.  Real-time FTSE indexes are
calculated on systems managed by Reuters. Prices and FX
rates used are supplied by Reuters.  

    About Xinhua Finance Limited 

    Xinhua Finance Limited is China's unchallenged leader
in financial information and media, and is listed on the
Mothers board of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (symbol: 9399)
(OTC ADRs: XHFNY). Bridging China's financial markets and
the world, Xinhua Finance serves financial institutions,
corporations and re-distributors through four focused and
complementary service lines: Indices, Ratings, Financial
News and Investor Relations.  Founded in November 1999, the
Company is headquartered in Shanghai with 20 news bureaus
and offices in 19 locations across Asia, Australia, North
America and Europe. For more information, please visit
http://www.xinhuafinance.com . 


    For more information, please contact:  

    Shanghai / Hong Kong
     Joy Tsang
     Xinhua Finance
     Tel:   [phone]
            [phone]
            [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

    Beijing
     Catherine Song
     FTSE Xinhua Beijing office
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]  

    Hong Kong
     Meredith Blakemore
     FTSE Group
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]  

    London
     Sandra Steel
     FTSE Group
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]  


SOURCE  Xinhua FTSE Index