Karl M. von der Heyden has been elected to the DreamWorks Animation board of directors.
He served as vice chairman, a member of the board of directors and cfo of PepsiCo Inc. from September 1996 to February 2001. During that period, he was instrumental in the company's spinoff of its restaurant operations, the acquisitions of Tropicana and Quaker Oats, and the IPO of the Pepsi Bottling Group.
Previously, von der Heyden was co-chairman/ceo of RJR Nabisco and was interim ceo of Metallgesellschaft Corp., where he led the restructuring of the company. Earlier in his career, he was svp/cfo and a director of H.J. Heinz Co.
He serves on the boards of Aramark Inc., Federated Department Stores Inc., PanAmSat Corp. and the New York Stock Exchange, and is a trustee of The American Academy in Berlin, Duke University, and the National Humanities Center. He has also served as chairman of the Financial Accounting Standard Board's Advisory Council (FASAC).
"I am delighted to welcome Karl to our board of directors, said Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation ceo. His strong financial background, clear international perspective and experience in consumer-oriented businesses make him a superb addition to our world-class board. I look forward to benefiting from his insights in the years ahead."
DreamWorks Animation chairman Roger Enrico added, "Having worked with Karl at PepsiCo, I know first-hand the proven leadership skills and invaluable business expertise he will bring to our board, and I very much look forward to working with him again."
DreamWorks Animation's board of directors also includes: Roger Enrico, chairman of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.; Katzenberg, ceo of DreamWorks Animation; Paul Allen, chairman of Vulcan Inc.; Lewis W. Coleman, former president of Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; David Geffen, co-founder of DreamWorks; Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Capital Management; Nathan Myhvrold, ceo of Intellectual Ventures; Howard Schultz, chairman/chief global strategist of Starbucks Corp.; and Meg Whitman, president/ceo of eBay.
DreamWorks Animation is devoted to producing high-quality family entertainment through the use of computer-generated animation. Utilizing world-class creative talent and state-of-the-art technological capabilities, the company is committed to making two computer-animated feature films a year that appeal to a broad movie-going audience. The company has theatrically released a total of nine animated feature films, including ANTZ, SHREK, SHREK 2, SHARK TALE and MADAGASCAR. DreamWorks Animation's newest release, WALLACE & GROMIT: CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, opened in theaters Oct. 7.
