Shanghai, China — What companies are best when it comes to leadership? On December 20, 2008, organizations in China will be able to participate in the Top Companies for Leaders 2009 study, sponsored by Hewitt Associates, a global consulting and outsourcing company, in partnership with The RBL Group, a firm dedicated to helping clients deliver strong leadership and strategic HR capability, and Fortune Magazine.

The most comprehensive global leadership study in the marketplace, the study will examine how organizations choose and develop leaders, and determine if there's a correlation between leadership practices and financial results. The Top Companies for Leaders study will rank top companies from Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America with innovative leadership programs. Companies named to the global and regional lists will be announced in Fortune Magazine in the Fall of 2009. Hewitt has conducted leadership studies in the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific since 2001. This is the second year it has partnered with The RBL Group and Fortune Magazine.

"Leadership talent is in short supply around the world, yet a handful of companies are able to consistently groom and grow great leaders through the ranks, even in the most demanding talent markets and in the most volatile economic and financial climates," said Indraneel Roy, Hewitt's Global Leadership Consulting Practice Leader. "This study will provide valuable insights on how companies excel at building leaders and enhancing their leadership brand to drive business success. We look forward to partnering again with The RBL Group and Fortune Magazine to uncover the best practices of companies that successfully build and produce great leaders in an increasingly complex and global marketplace."

Participation Requirements and Judging Process

All organizations—public or private—can participate in the Top Companies for Leaders study. Participation in the study is free, and companies will receive a complimentary research brief and have the opportunity to benchmark against the Top Companies for Leaders list.

The first part of the selection process is completing the survey. Each submission will be screened and those companies selected as finalists will conduct interviews with senior executives and survey a random sample of current leaders. An independent panel of judges, composed of leading authors, academics and business journalists, will select the Top Companies for Leaders list. The judges' panel will evaluate data from the company and leader surveys, empirical interview data, financial measures of performance and company reputation.

For more information on participating in the study, please visit www.hewitt.com/topcompanies.

About Hewitt Associates

For more than 65 years, Hewitt Associates (NYSE: HEW) has provided clients with best-in-class human resources consulting and outsourcing services.  Hewitt consults with more than 3,000 large and mid-size companies around the globe to develop and implement HR business strategies covering retirement, financial and health management; compensation and total rewards; and performance, talent and change management.  As a market leader in benefits administration, Hewitt delivers health care and retirement programs to millions of participants and retirees, on behalf of more than 300 organizations worldwide.  In addition, more than 30 clients rely on Hewitt to provide a broader range of human resources business process outsourcing services to nearly a million client employees.  Located in 33 countries, Hewitt employs approximately 23,000 associates.  For more information, please visit www.hewitt.com.