PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania - Alcoa Inc. announced today that it has appointed Galdino Claro, 43, to the newly created position as president of Alcoa China effective immediately. He will be responsible for the company's eight joint venture or wholly owned operations in China as well as our newly acquired Korean company, Changwon Precision Extrusions. He will also serve as Alcoa's principal representative to the Government of China. Mr. Claro had been president of Alcoa Europe Extrusions and End Products, with responsibility for 20 plants in nine countries. He will be located in Beijing.

Succeeding Mr. Claro as president of Alcoa Europe's extrusions and end products business is Philippe Royer, 40, who joined Alcoa in January 2002. He will be based in Geneva, Switzerland. Mr. Royer had been president of VAW AG's foil business.

Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components, Alcoa also markets consumer brands including Reynolds Wrap(R) aluminum foil, Alcoa(R) wheels, and Baco(R) household wraps. Among its other businesses are vinyl siding, closures, precision castings, and electrical distribution systems for cars and trucks. The company has 129,000 employees in 38 countries.

Biographical information follows:

Galdino Claro

Mr. Claro joined Alcoa in 1986 at Alcoa Aluminio, the company's Brazilian operations, as quality superintendent of the die-casting business. He later assumed responsibility for quality, technology and product development in the extrusions and flat-rolled products areas, and also served as general manager of Cargo Van, an aluminum truck body producer owned by Alcoa Aluminio. In 1996 he moved to Europe to manage the soft-alloy extrusion business of the Alcoa Europe business unit and was named to his most recent position as president, Alcoa Europe Extrusions and End Products in 2000.

Prior to joining Alcoa, Mr. Claro was employed by Honda Motor Company, where he served as production engineer, and quality control and technical manager. Earlier, he was employed by Alcan Aluminum Ltd. as a flat-rolled products cold mill process technician.

Mr. Claro holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Taubate in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was also certified in 1985 as an expert in total quality by the International Labor Office in Chiba, Japan.

Philippe Royer

Mr. Royer joined Alcoa in early 2002 and assumed his present position as president of Extrusions and End Products for Alcoa Europe in August 2002. He had been president of VAW AG's foil business since 2000 based in Dusseldorf, Germany. Mr. Royer was employed by Eurofoil, the foil division of the SAPA group, in Luxembourg from 1991-1999 as managing director. Earlier in his career, he held management positions in supply chain and information technology for Lee Cooper in Amiens, France and for Devanlay in Troyes, France, both sportswear companies.

Mr. Royer was president of the European Aluminium Foil Association from 1997 to 2000. He has an engineering degree from Ecole Centrale de Lyon and a graduate degree in business administration from ICG in Paris.

Alcoa Inc.

Alcoa Inc.

Alcoa (NYSE:AA) is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components, Alcoa also markets consumer brands including Reynolds Wrap® foils and plastic wraps, Alcoa® wheels, and Baco® household wraps. Among its other businesses are closures, fastening systems, precision castings, and electrical distribution systems for cars and trucks. The company has 129,000 employees in 44 countries and has been named one of the top most sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com

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