Gilbert Van Hassel Named CEO of ING Investment Management

ING Investment Management announced that it has appointed Gilbert Van Hassel global CEO of ING Investment Management ("ING IM"). Gilbert Van Hassel will report to Tom McInerney, who, as disclosed on 26 October 2009, will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer on the ING Management Board Insurance, with day-to-day responsibility for all insurance and investment management activities.

Commenting on Gilbert Van Hassel's appointment, Tom McInerney said, "Gilbert is an outstanding leader with a proven track record and substantial experience in the asset management industry. I am very pleased that Gilbert has taken this position and confident that he will continue to build our investment management business for global success."

Gilbert Van Hassel succeeds Jacques de Vaucleroy, who stepped down on 26 October to pursue other interests. Gilbert Van Hassel has nearly 27 years of experience in finance and asset management. He joined ING in 2007 as CEO ING Investment Management Europe and will continue in this role until a successor has been named. Prior to working at ING, Gilbert Van Hassel pursued an international career with JP Morgan, most recently as Managing Director & Global Head of Technology and Operations at JP Morgan Asset Management in New York.

"I am thrilled to take on this exciting new challenge in my career with ING. I consider it an honour to serve our clients globally in a fiduciary role and to play a major part in the development of one global ING Investment Management organization," Gilbert Van Hassel said. "I know that our strong focus on clients, our investment performance, global reach and regional presence are the cornerstones of a top-tier global investment management firm and I welcome this opportunity to lead the future development of the organisation."

ING Investment Management also announced today that Jeff Becker has been named CEO of ING Investment Management Americas. Becker, previously vice chairman, chief operating officer, and head of Business Management and Strategy, ING Investment Management, Americas, succeeds Rob Leary, who will take on a new position as CEO of ING Insurance U.S.

Becker said, "I am very excited to be transitioning into this new role as ING Investment Management embarks on its strategy to become a premier global asset management firm. I am proud of the way all of our professionals have managed through the challenging market environment and positioned our business for growth. Along with our dedicated management committee, I look forward to leading our talented teams of investment management professionals across the Americas who are eager to pursue this exciting global strategy. Collectively, ING Investment Management, Americas will continue to deliver tremendous value and service to its clients."

Earlier this year ING announced that it is combining its regional investment management businesses and its real estate investment management business to form a leading global asset manager. The combined business has around EUR 400 billion in assets under management.

The appointment of Gilbert Van Hassel is, where appropriate, subject to regulatory approval.

ING Profile

ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to over 85 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 40 countries. With a diverse workforce of about 110,000 people, ING is dedicated to setting the standard in helping our clients manage their financial future.

Important legal information

Certain of the statements contained herein are statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements. These expectations are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those in such statements due to, among other things, (i) general economic conditions, in particular economic conditions in ING's core markets, (ii) performance of financial markets, including emerging markets, (iii) the frequency and severity of insured loss events, (iv) mortality and morbidity levels and trends, (v) persistency levels, (vi) interest rate levels, (vii) currency exchange rates (viii) general competitive factors, (ix) changes in laws and regulations, (x) changes in the policies of governments and/or regulatory authorities, (XI) conclusions with regard to purchase accounting assumptions and methodologies, (XII) ING's ability to achieve projected operational synergies. ING assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this document.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: dana.ripley@us.ing.com

SOURCE: ING Investment Management

CONTACT: Dana E. Ripley, ING Insurance Americas, +1-770-980-4865, or
Cell, +1-404-788-9624, dana.ripley@us.ing.com