Foster Wheeler Announces Relocation of Operating Headquarters

ZUG, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Foster Wheeler AG (Nasdaq: FWLT) announced today that its Board of Directors has approved management’s proposal to relocate the company’s operating headquarters from Perryville, New Jersey to Geneva, Switzerland. The company will continue to remain domiciled in Zug, Switzerland.

This decision is effective immediately, the transition has already begun, and the affected executives will begin operating from Switzerland in January 2010.

Raymond J. Milchovich, chairman and chief executive officer of Foster Wheeler AG, said, “Given the worldwide growth of Foster Wheeler, nearly 85% of our business is currently outside of North America. As a result, this relocation will significantly increase management effectiveness by having our senior executive team in much closer proximity to our markets, clients and operations.”

Milchovich added, “This move also is the logical next step for us after the redomestication of the company to Switzerland earlier this year. Most importantly, it positions us well to maintain an extremely competitive worldwide effective tax rate, which is consistent with our objective of generating superior returns for our shareholders.”

The key executive positions that will relocate to Geneva include Chief Executive Officer; Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer; General Counsel; Executive Vice President of Human Resources; Vice President, Tax; Vice President and Chief Corporate Compliance Officer; and Vice President, Corporate Development.

The President and Chief Operating Officer and the Vice President, Project Risk Management will continue to operate from their current locations in Europe.

Foster Wheeler AG is a global engineering and construction contractor and power equipment supplier delivering technically advanced, reliable facilities and equipment. The company employs over 14,000 talented professionals with specialized expertise dedicated to serving its clients through one of its two primary business groups. The company’s Global Engineering and Construction Group designs and constructs leading-edge processing facilities for the upstream oil and gas, LNG and gas-to-liquids, refining, chemicals and petrochemicals, power, environmental, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and healthcare industries. The company’s Global Power Group is a world leader in combustion and steam generation technology that designs, manufactures and erects steam generating and auxiliary equipment for power stations and industrial facilities and also provides a wide range of aftermarket services. The company is based in Zug, Switzerland, and its operational headquarters are in Clinton, New Jersey, USA. For more information about Foster Wheeler, please visit our Web site at www.fwc.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Foster Wheeler AG news releases may contain forward-looking statements that are based on management’s assumptions, expectations and projections about the Company and the various industries within which the Company operates. These include statements regarding the Company’s expectations about revenues (including as expressed by its backlog), its liquidity, the outcome of litigation and legal proceedings and recoveries from customers for claims and the costs of current and future asbestos claims and the amount and timing of related insurance recoveries. Such forward-looking statements by their nature involve a degree of risk and uncertainty. The Company cautions that a variety of factors, including but not limited to the factors described in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the following, could cause the Company’s business conditions and results to differ materially from what is contained in forward-looking statements: benefits, effects or results of the Company’s redomestication, further deterioration in the economic conditions in the United States and other major international economies, changes in investment by the oil and gas, oil refining, chemical/petrochemical and power industries, changes in the financial condition of its customers, changes in regulatory environments, changes in project design or schedules, contract cancellations, changes in estimates made by the Company of costs to complete projects, changes in trade, monetary and fiscal policies worldwide, compliance with laws and regulations relating to its global operations, currency fluctuations, war and/or terrorist attacks on facilities either owned by the Company or where equipment or services are or may be provided by the Company, interruptions to shipping lanes or other methods of transit, outcomes of pending and future litigation, including litigation regarding the Company’s liability for damages and insurance coverage for asbestos exposure, protection and validity of its patents and other intellectual property rights, increasing competition by non-U.S. and U.S. companies, compliance with its debt covenants, recoverability of claims against its customers and others by the Company and claims by third parties against the Company, and changes in estimates used in its critical accounting policies. Other factors and assumptions not identified above were also involved in the formation of these forward-looking statements and the failure of such other assumptions to be realized, as well as other factors, may also cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Most of these factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the Company’s control. You should consider the areas of risk described above in connection with any forward-looking statements that may be made by the Company. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised, however, to consult any additional disclosures the Company makes in proxy statements, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, annual reports on Form 10-K and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Foster Wheeler AG
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Source: Foster Wheeler AG