AbitibiBowater Appoints New Chairman

AbitibiBowater Inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada, has announced the appointment of Richard B. Evans to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, effective Feb. 1, 2009.

Evans is currently a director of AbitibiBowater and a member of the board of directors of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Ltd. He has recently announced his retirement from the Rio Tinto Boards, effective in April. Additionally, Mr. Evans is chief executive of Rio Tinto Alcan until Feb. 1, 2009, when he will retire from this role.

Evans is the former CEO of Alcan Inc., current chairman of the board of the International Aluminum Institute and past chairman of the U.S. Aluminum Association and a director of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. A graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, he also holds a Master’s in management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

“We are fortunate to have someone of the caliber of Dick Evans to assume the chairmanship of AbitibiBowater,” says David J. Paterson, President and Chief Executive Officer. "As we continue our work to better position the Company, we will benefit from Dick's extensive experience and business insight."

In other news, AbitibiBowater also has announced that John W. Weaver has resigned as non-executive chair, effective Feb. 1, 2009, and Gordon D. Giffin will retire from the board of directors, effective immediately.