Sealy Names New Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer

Sealy Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of mattresses, today announced Jodi Allen has joined the company as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Allen, who hails from Whirlpool Corp., brings to the role 20 years of strategic marketing and product development experience, as well as a keen sense for building relationships with retailers.

"Jodi brings the right mix to the senior marketing role,” said Larry Rogers, Sealy president and CEO. "We were looking for someone with not only a brand marketing background, but someone who understands the key role our retailers play in our business. Jodi fit the bill perfectly.”

During her 14-year tenure at Whirlpool Corp., Allen served in roles of increasing responsibility in various marketing, financial and general management positions, both internationally and domestically. Specifically, she worked as a liaison in Brazil leading the integration of Multibras, Embraco and Brastemp companies into the Whirlpool financial structure. Allen also served as the senior director of strategy and planning, marketing operations for North America - a $12 billion business unit.

Most recently, she held the position of general manager for the company’s dishwasher business in North America. In this role, Allen was responsible for marketing, product development, supply chain, pricing/promotion and forecasting for Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Jenn-Air and Amana brands' dishwasher business.

"My experience at Whirlpool gave me tremendous insight on the importance of strong retail relationships,” said Allen. "These partnerships are central to our business. I look forward to developing new products and marketing campaigns that support our retail partners and consumers.”

Allen began her professional career at NCR Corporation as a financial analyst. She received an MBA in marketing from University of Dayton in 1995 and a bachelor of science in business administration from Ohio State University in 1990.

About Sealy Corporation

Sealy is the largest bedding manufacturer in the world with sales of $1.7 billion in 2007. The Company manufactures and markets a broad range of mattresses and foundations under the Sealy®, Sealy Posturepedic®, Stearns & Foster®, and Bassett® brands. Sealy operates 26 plants in North America, and has the largest market share and highest consumer awareness of any bedding brand on the continent. In the United States, Sealy sells its products to 2,900 customers with more than 7,000 retail outlets. Sealy is also a leading supplier to the hospitality industry. For more information, please visit www.sealy.com.