NEW YORK–Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that its board of directors has elected
John Thuestad, 49, and Jean-Pierre Gilardeau, 57, as vice presidents of
Alcoa.

Thuestad is Chief Operating Officer for Global Primary Products
Worldwide, focusing primarily on reducing the cost of aluminum
production within Alcoa’s worldwide aluminum smelters as well as
reducing the cost of alumina production at its refineries worldwide.
With the two new smelters Alcoa recently acquired in Norway, Alcoa’s
global smelting capacity has grown to 4.8 million metric tons per year.
Alcoa also produces 900,000 metric tons of recycled aluminum, bringing
the total capacity to 5.7 million metric tons per year. Alcoa’s alumina
production will increase to more than 17.9 million mtpy by the end of
2009 with the expansion of the Alumar alumina refinery in Brazil, making
Alcoa not only the world’s largest primary aluminum producer, but also
the largest alumina producer.

Gilardeau is President, Global Primary Products – North America and
Iceland. In this role, Gilardeau strengthens coordination and best
practices across Alcoa’s extensive Primary operations in the U.S.,
Canada and Iceland. For nearly a decade, Gilardeau had been president of
Alcoa’s Primary Products facilities in Canada, which include smelters in
Baie Comeau, Bécancour and Deschambault as well as a rod plant in
Bécancour. He has also headed a development program that gave Alcoa the
opportunity to renew power contracts to its three Canadian smelters
(roughly 2000 MW of hydropower) until 2040 and launched the
modernization and expansion of the Baie-Comeau smelter. He also has
accountability for Alcoa Fjardaal in Iceland, Alcoa’s first new primary
smelter in 20 years, and is overseeing the feasibility study to
establish a second smelter in Bakki, North Iceland.

About Alcoa

Alcoa is the world leader in the production and management of primary
aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina combined, through its active
and growing participation 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 including
flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, Alcoa also
markets Alcoa® wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment
castings, and building systems. The Company has been named one of the
top most sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic
Forum in Davos, Switzerland and has been a member of the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index for eight consecutive years. Alcoa employs
approximately 63,000 people in 31 countries across the world. More
information can be found at www.alcoa.com