NEW YORK, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) today named Robert S. (Chip) Merritt as Vice President, Investor Relations, effective immediately. Mr. Merritt succeeds Donald S. Rubin as head of investor relations.

In this role, Mr. Merritt will be responsible for creating and executing global investor relations strategies and initiatives.  This includes managing relationships with key shareholders to ensure their understanding of the company's financial performance, strategy, and growth prospects.

"McGraw-Hill has demonstrated over a long period a commitment to creating value for our shareholders," said Harold McGraw III, Chairman, President and CEO of The McGraw-Hill Companies. "Chip's leadership, financial acumen and proven ability to effectively communicate with investors will help us showcase that commitment by building on the strong relationships we already have while forging new ones within the global investment community. We're thrilled to have him join McGraw-Hill at this pivotal time as we prepare to launch two powerful, dynamic companies, which, we believe, will increase returns to our shareholders."

Mr. Merritt brings significant investor relations experience to McGraw-Hill. Most recently, he was Vice President, Investor Relations, for Cephalon, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. Prior to that, Mr. Merritt held investor relations positions at Solutia, Inc., a global performance materials and specialty chemicals company, and Monsanto Company.

Mr. Merritt began his career at Monsanto Company where he held a number of positions in accounting and finance.

He holds a bachelor's in finance from the University of Missouri and an MBA from St. Louis University. 

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two public companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

Investor Relations: http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/investor_relations

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News Media Contacts:

Patti Rockenwagner
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications                      
212-512-3533 (office)
patti_rockenwagner@mcgraw-hill.com

Jason Feuchtwanger
Director, Corporate Media Relations
212-512-3151 (office)
347-419-4169 (cell)
Jason_feuchtwanger@mcgraw-hill.com

Investor Relations Contact:

Chip Merritt
Vice President, Investor Relations
212-512-4321 (office)
chip_merritt@mcgraw-hill.com 

SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies