Investor Relations

WILMINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 25, 2006--(NYSE:CRL) Charles River Laboratories, a leading contract research organization worldwide, is dramatically enhancing its technological capabilities across its entire business. In the life sciences industry which is driven by information, Charles River is implementing advanced IT solutions that will harness the cumulative power of its diversity of sites through the harmonization of data.

These enhanced solutions will yield many benefits to the Company's pharmaceutical, biotech academic and government customers. Streamlined global resource planning will maintain consistent quality and scheduling. Increased collaboration among sites will provide customers with Charles River's vast breadth of global business offerings - from drug discovery through market approval. Further, customers will find self-service access to study data, analysis tools, reporting engines and more through the use of customized portals.

To ensure a seamless integration of these improvements, Charles River Labs has established two global positions that are key to this transformation.

Shanna Cotti has assumed responsibilities as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Ms. Cotti will be re-architecting the infrastructure, technological environment and data integration of these global IT initiatives. She will be responsible for the creation, communication and dissemination of both near-term and visionary architectural planning across Charles River Labs.

Ms. Cotti brings to Charles River an abundance of leading edge IT expertise. Prior to joining the Company, she was a senior consultant for Microsoft Corporation, where she led the creation and subsequent deployment of enterprise-wide technical architecture strategies for Fortune 500 companies. She has consulted and advised on IT strategy for global enterprises across many industries, including consumer goods, manufacturing, and life sciences, where she has led the architecture and deployment of global information management and collaboration systems. Ms. Cotti is a Pennsylvania State University graduate of The Behrend College, where she received a bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems.

Scot Kennedy from Charles River Labs' UK Preclinical site has been promoted to the role of Chief of IT Solutions Engineering (COSE). With a proven track record in strategic system integration, he will be instrumental in developing, deploying, and integrating the software application set across the whole of Charles River. Mr. Kennedy will ensure that solutions are innovative, sustainable and implemented in line with predicted industry growth areas and the Charles River business strategy.

Mr. Kennedy has been with Charles River for sixteen years in various leadership roles within the IT organization. Before assuming the COSE position, he served as the head of IT for Preclinical Services in Edinburgh, and for Clinical Services in all of Europe. He holds an undergraduate degree in Physics and post-graduate degree in Information Technologies from Glasgow University.

"Both Ms. Cotti and Mr. Kennedy bring a diverse set of experiences to bear upon Charles River Laboratories. Their years of experience in technology coupled with a firm understanding of the biopharma industry will enable Charles River to streamline its information supply chain, while providing customers with a seamless experience around data and information, the lifeblood of life sciences", said Chief Information Officer (CIO) Nick Ventresca in welcoming the latest additions to Charles River's senior Information Technology team.

About Charles River Laboratories

Charles River Laboratories based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, partners with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and leading academic institutions to advance the drug discovery and development process, bringing drugs to market faster and more efficiently. Charles River's 7,500 employees serve clients worldwide. For more information on Charles River, visit our website at www.criver.com.

CONTACT: Charles River Laboratories
Director, Global Communications
Elizabeth Ferber, 781-262-7963
F: 978-658-7841

SOURCE: Charles River Laboratories