Company announces election of new directors, appointment of new board chairman, and departure of three directors as part of ongoing board refreshment plan

Alliance Data Systems Corporation, a leading global provider of data-driven marketing, loyalty and payment solutions, announced changes to its board of directors. These include the election of new board members John C. Gerspach, Jr. and Rajesh “Nat” Natarajan, as well as the appointment of long-standing director Roger H. Ballou as board chair. The changes were announced at the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders, held yesterday. Long-time directors Bruce K. Anderson, Kenneth R. Jensen and former chairman Robert A. Minicucci completed their board service and did not stand for re-election.

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“As part of Alliance Data’s ongoing board refreshment plan, the board is purposefully and continually committed to aligning its composition to reflect the needs of our evolving business and expectations of our stakeholders,” said Ralph Andretta, president and chief executive officer of Alliance Data. “I am pleased with the progress we have made to diversify our board across various criteria including critical skills, expertise, industry experience, gender and ethnicity, and tenure — all of which form the underpinnings of solid board representation necessary for effective and responsible corporate governance and oversight of our business.

“To that end, I am excited to welcome Mr. Gerspach and Mr. Natarajan to our board of directors, as each brings tremendous skills, experience and expertise that align with Alliance Data’s evolved business, complementing the breadth of competencies and perspectives of our returning directors.” Andretta concluded, “I enthusiastically welcome and look forward to working with Nat and John, as well as continuing to work with long-time director and newly-appointed board chair Roger Ballou, and the rest of the independent directors as we continue to provide oversight and stewardship of the Company’s transformation and future-focused business strategy.”

Mr. Gerspach joins the board after most recently serving as the chief financial officer of Citigroup, Inc. (2009–­19). He began his tenure with Citigroup in 1990, holding a variety of roles in audit, accounting, risk management and international operations. Recommended to the Alliance Data board’s nominating and corporate governance committee by executive management, Mr. Gerspach’s executive-level experience in the banking and financial services industry provides significant bench strength to Alliance Data. Mr. Gerspach will chair the board’s audit committee and serve as a member of the risk committee.

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Recommended to the board’s nominating and corporate governance committee by a third-party search firm, Mr. Natarajan has served as the executive vice president and chief product and technology officer for Ancestry.com since February 2017. Prior to joining Ancestry.com, he served as senior vice president and chief information security and fraud officer at Intuit, Inc. (2014–17), and was the vice president, platform engineering and operations at PayPal Holdings, Inc. (2006–14). Mr. Natarajan’s executive experience in information technology, cybersecurity, engineering, operations and product development brings a diversified, digital-focused skill set to the board. Mr. Natarajan will serve on the nominating and corporate governance committee as well as the risk committee.

Alliance Data would like to acknowledge and thank departing directors Bruce Anderson, Ken Jensen and Rob Minicucci for their valuable leadership and years of service to the Company.

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