CPP, Inc., Announces Acquisition of Hemisphere Consulting

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- CPP, Inc., exclusive publisher of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) instrument, announced today it has acquired Hemisphere Consulting, which will continue to operate in Singapore as CPP Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CPP. The acquisition will enhance CPP's position of leadership in the Asia Pacific region by expanding the company's presence in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. "The acquisition of Hemisphere Consulting is an important step in the ongoing implementation of our global strategy to seamlessly deliver CPP products and consulting services around the world," said Jeff Hayes, president and CEO, CPP, Inc.

As part of the agreement, Andrew Bell, Hemisphere's founder and managing director, will become CPP's vice president, international. In that role he will head the company's global business development. A published author and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in the UK, Bell previously served as senior vice president of HR for the East Asia Pacific Region of Unilever.

"With more than 25 years of experience in business and expertise in rapid growth, restructuring and mergers, Andrew Bell perfectly fits the criteria we set for the position of VP, international," said Hayes. "The current volatile state of the global economy makes his knowledge particularly relevant and valuable to CPP."

Hemisphere works with many of the world's top multinational companies, and this acquisition will expand CPP's capability to provide people development services to organizations in the private and public sectors. Hemisphere has been the sole distributor of many CPP instruments in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia since 2004, and it is the only organization authorized to conduct Myers-Briggs® certification training in the region. In the past six years, Hemisphere's sales of CPP products have shown a compound annual growth rate of more than 20 percent, and the number of participants in CPP instrument certification programs in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia has more than doubled.

"CPP's products and services enable companies to operate more cohesively, creating more productive work environments and enhancing bottom-line results," said Bell. "This transaction enables CPP to develop synergies with our expertise, experience and reach, thereby helping organizations compete effectively in today's business environment."

The acquisition of Hemisphere Consulting will greatly expand CPP's customer base and facilitate further growth in the Asia Pacific region. CPP will also acquire a new set of competencies and grow its talent pool. This includes Robin Robbins, currently Hemisphere's principal consultant, who will assume the role of managing director of the Singapore subsidiary.

About CPP, Inc.

Since its founding in 1956, CPP, Inc., has been a leading publisher and provider of innovative products and services for individual and organizational development, supplying reliable training solutions to businesses of all sizes, including the Fortune 500. The company's hundreds of offerings have been used by millions of individuals in more than 100 countries, in more than twenty languages, to help people and organizations grow and develop by improving performance and increasing understanding. Among CPP's world-renowned brands and services are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), Strong Interest Inventory®, Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), FIRO®, CPI 260®, and California Psychological Inventory™ (CPI™) assessments; and CPP Professional Services.

For more information about CPP, visit http://www.cpp.com.

For more information about Hemisphere Consulting, visit http://www.hc.com.sg/.

MBTI, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Myers-Briggs are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust. Strong Interest Inventory, FIRO and CPI 260 are registered trademarks and California Psychological Inventory and CPI are trademarks of CPP, Inc.

SOURCE CPP, Inc.