MEMC Announces CFO Transition

ST. PETERS, Mo., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE: WFR) today announced that it will transition the Chief Financial Officer role to Brian Wuebbels from the company's current CFO, Mark Murphy.  Mr. Murphy resigned as MEMC's Chief Financial Officer, effective May 16, 2012, to return to Praxair, Inc. to become President, Praxair Surface Technologies.  Mr. Murphy will work with MEMC in a consulting role in the near term to assist in the transition.

Mr. Wuebbels has been appointed to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer succeeding Murphy effective the same date.  Mr. Wuebbels has been with MEMC since 2007, most recently as Vice President and General Manager – Balance of System Products. At MEMC, he has also served as Vice President, Solar Wafer Manufacturing, Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, and Vice President Operations Finance. Before joining MEMC, Wuebbels was Vice President and CFO of Honeywell's Sensing and Controls Business.  Prior to Honeywell, Mr. Wuebbels spent 10 years at the General Electric Company in various senior finance and operations roles in multiple businesses around the world.

"We are very grateful for Mark's contributions as CFO," said Ahmad Chatila, Chief Executive Officer of MEMC. "Mark has provided solid financial leadership and helped us navigate through very challenging times in the global semiconductor and solar industries. We wish him continued success in his new role at Praxair. Moving forward, Brian's long tenure with MEMC and his substantial financial and operational background made him an obvious choice to succeed Mark as CFO.  Brian is ideally suited for this position and this will be a smooth transition of responsibilities."

About MEMC

MEMC is a global leader in semiconductor and solar technology. MEMC has been a pioneer in the design and development of silicon wafer technologies for over 50 years. With R&D and manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, MEMC enables the next generation of high performance semiconductor devices and solar cells. Through its SunEdison subsidiary, MEMC is also a developer of solar power projects and a worldwide leader in solar energy services. MEMC's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "WFR." For more information about MEMC, please visit www.memc.com.

SOURCE MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.