Crawford SVP Phyllis Austin Named to Executive Leadership Honor Roll

ATLANTA, Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Phyllis Austin, Crawford & Company's (NYSE: CRDA; CRDB) senior vice president of human resources, recently was named to the Board of Directors Network (BDN) Executive Leadership Honor Roll in recognition of her proven leadership ability, career accomplishments and role as a mentor to other women.

The BDN honor is awarded annually to three Georgia-based women leaders to highlight the group's mission to increase the number of women in executive leadership. Women named to the honor role are considered to be role models for career achievement who are building the credentials that place them in the pipeline for corporate board membership. They have:

• Achieved excellence in their professions, as recognized by colleagues;
• Attained a significant executive level position of leadership in their organizations; and
• Advocated for and mentored other women in building their potential.

"Phyllis is a highly skilled professional who has successfully evolved our HR strategies to answer a number of challenges presented by the recent economy and increasing medical costs," said Allen W. Nelson, Crawford's general counsel and chief administrative officer. "Her superb leadership of her staff and function has been instrumental in helping us achieve our corporate goals. The BDN could not have chosen a better candidate for this honor."

Austin joined Crawford in 2006 and is responsible for all aspects of human resources, including talent management, employee relations and benefit and compensation design. She came to Crawford from DS Waters of America LP, where she was vice president of human resources, and also served in executive HR positions at Danone Waters of North America and Great Western Financial Corp.

Austin holds a master's degree in business administration, with an emphasis in human resources, from California State University at Long Beach and a bachelor of science degree from the University of South California. She also earned her Human Resources Management professional designation from the University of California at Los Angeles.

BDN is a Georgia organization of women and men representing boards of directors, corporations, government agencies, academia, the legal and financial professions, not-for-profit organizations, and the media seeking to influence public companies to further the advancement of women in the boardroom and executive suites. BDN advocates for more women in both executive leadership and on corporate boards to improve corporate governance through diversity.

About Crawford

Based in Atlanta, Ga., Crawford & Company (www.crawfordandcompany.com) is the world's largest independent provider of claims management solutions to the risk management and insurance industry as well as self-insured entities, with a global network of more than 700 locations in 63 countries. The Crawford System of Claims Solutions(SM) offers comprehensive, integrated claims services, business process outsourcing and consulting services for major product lines including property and casualty claims management, workers compensation claims and medical management, and legal settlement administration. The Company's shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbols CRDA and CRDB.

SOURCE Crawford & Company