TradingPartners Announces Appointment of Mark Barnekow as CEO

CHICAGO and LONDON, January 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- TradingPartners focuses on its rapid growth in strategic sourcing

TradingPartners (www.tradingpartners.com) today announced its board of directors has named Mark Barnekow chief executive officer and member of its board of directors. Mark will be responsible for leading the company as it expands its business globally to meet the growing demand for fully managed sourcing services.

Mark is a veteran of sourcing, supply chain management, and spend intelligence industries, as well as an award-winning company CEO. Previously, he served as president and CEO of foodservice industry technology provider, Amphire Solutions. Following Amphire's sale to private equity firm Accel/KKR and subsequent merger with iTradeNetwork (ITN), Mark became president of international for ITN.

In 2008, under Mark's leadership, Amphire was recognised as one of the top 50 fastest-growing companies in Silicon Valley. In the same year Mark was the recipient of the San Francisco Business Times' Most Admired CEO award.

Max Bleyleben, managing director of growth equity investor, Kennet Partners said, "Mark's combination of industry expertise and managerial skills are a perfect fit for TradingPartners. The company is experiencing greater-than-ever, global demand for its managed sourcing services, and is partnering with larger and more sophisticated customers. Mark's proven ability to manage rapid growth through long-term customer relationships and strategic insights into the supply chain industry will serve the company well."

"I'm delighted to be joining TradingPartners at this high-growth phase in the company's development," said Mark Barnekow. "TradingPartners has some of the most talented and expert people I have come across in this industry. Their deep experience achieving tangible savings for customers in automotive, education, health care, manufacturing, public sector and retail industries is unprecedented. I am excited to help take the company to the next level working with our great people, products, and customers."

About TradingPartners

Based in Chicago, with European headquarters in London, TradingPartners provides the most comprehensive and effective managed service to help companies reduce the cost of their direct and indirect purchases with tangible results often in the 10-40% range. TradingPartners' unparalleled domain expertise, comprehensive supplier database and robust technology platform has helped hundreds of manufacturers, retailers, and service firms achieve dramatic, tangible cost savings. For more information, visit http://www.tradingpartners.com.

About Kennet Partners

Kennet Partners is a leading international private equity firm that invests in growth companies providing information technology products and business services that leverage technology. Kennet provides expansion capital to businesses that want to accelerate growth and build exceptional shareholder value in partnership with an experienced investor. With approximately $600 million in funds under management, and working from offices in London and Silicon Valley, the Kennet team actively supports its portfolio companies as they expand their operations internationally. Kennet Partners acts as an advisor to Kennet I, a Jersey-based fund and to Kennet II and Kennet III, both Guernsey-based funds. Kennet Partners is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. For more information, visit http://www.kennet.com