Newell Rubbermaid has announced that Michael T. Cowhig has been elected chairman of the company's board of directors, succeeding William D. Marohn, who served as chairman since 2004.

Marohn originally became a director in connection with the company's acquisition of Rubbermaid in 1999. He will continue to serve as a director until the company's annual meeting in May, when he will retire pursuant to the mandatory retirement provision in the company's corporate governance guidelines.

"Bill Marohn has provided extraordinary leadership during a time of significant transformation at Newell Rubbermaid, and we are enormously thankful for his service to our company and board," said Mark Ketchum, President and Chief Executive Officer of Newell Rubbermaid. "Mike Cowhig is an excellent choice to continue this legacy of positive change, having made astute assessments of the business in his five years on the board, backed up by a strong track record of proven leadership ability and business success in his career at Gillette."

"Newell Rubbermaid has made huge progress in its transformation into a consumer-driven innovation and brand building company," said Marohn. "I am proud to have served this outstanding organization and I wish Mike Cowhig, and everyone at Newell Rubbermaid, continued success."