Michael Ali Joins Grainger as CIO

Grainger (NYSE: GWW), the leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products serving businesses and institutions, today announced Dr. Michael Ali joined the company as Senior Vice President and CIO. He replaces Tim Ferrarell who assumes the new role of Senior Vice President, Innovation and Continuous Improvement.(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130729/CG54210) "Michael is a great addition to our team," said Grainger Chairman, President and CEO, Jim Ryan. "Beyond his IT expertise, Michael brings a strong global perspective to our organization. At the same time, I'm excited to have Tim take on the role of leading our innovation and continuous improvement efforts, both of which are critical to our continued success." Ali has extensive global experience in information technology. Most recently he was Senior Vice President, Application Services and Project Management Office, at US Foods. Previous to US Foods, he was CIO at Harman, where he led the upgrade of its SAP platform and implementation of a new eCommerce platform. Ali also was CIO at U.K.-based Jaguar Land Rover, transforming its IT organization to follow the Ford One-IT model. With Grainger, Ali will lead the Enterprise Systems team in building flexible and scalable systems that will support the current and future needs of customers, suppliers and team members, and help drive growth for Grainger worldwide. Ali has a PhD in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University. Ali is based in Lake Forest, reporting to Jim Ryan. About GraingerW.W. Grainger, Inc., with 2012 sales of $9 billion, is North America's leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products, with expanding global operations. For more information about the company, visit www.grainger.com.