ATLANTA, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Novelis Inc. today announced that Erwin Mayr has been named to the newly created position of Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, effective October 1, 2009. The company also announced the appointment of Leslie J. Parrette Jr. as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Compliance Officer, effective October 7, 2009.

Mr. Mayr was previously Business Unit President, Advanced Rolled Products, for Novelis Europe. He has held leadership positions within the Novelis Europe organization since joining the company in 2002. Previously, he was an associate partner with the consulting firm Monitor Group. Mr. Mayr is a graduate of Ulm University in Germany, where he received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physics.

In addition to leading corporate strategy development, Mr. Mayr will provide global direction in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, research and development, manufacturing excellence and information technology. Mr. Mayr will also serve on the Novelis Executive Committee.

"Erwin will be a strong addition to our executive team," said president and chief operating officer Phil Martens. "His background in strategy development combined with his management experience in leading a large sector of our business in Europe makes him well equipped to guide the development and implementation of our corporate strategy and oversee many of the global functions that support it."

Mr. Parrette rejoins Novelis as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Compliance Officer, a position he held previously from 2005 to early 2009. In the interim, Mr. Parrette has served as Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, for Wesco International, Inc., a Fortune 500 holding company that is a leading distributor of electrical products and supplies. From 2000 to 2005, he was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Aquilla, Inc. a former Fortune 50 electric and gas utility energy trader. Mr. Parrette holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Juris Doctorate in Law from Harvard University.

In addition to providing global leadership of Novelis' legal and compliance functions, Mr. Parrette will serve on the Novelis Executive Committee.

"We welcome Les back to Novelis," said Mr. Martens. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in international business law and has the ideal combination of skills and experience to lead our global legal team and corporate governance initiatives."

About Novelis

Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminum rolled products and aluminum can recycling. The company operates in 11 countries, has approximately 12,300 employees and reported revenue of $10.2 billion in fiscal year 2009. Novelis supplies premium aluminum sheet and foil products to automotive, transportation, packaging, construction, industrial, electronics and printing markets throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited (BSE: HINDALCO), one of Asia's largest integrated producers of aluminum and a leading copper producer. Hindalco is a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India. For more information, please visit www.novelis.com.