B2B Division Appointment

Reed International PLC
Elsevier NV
29 November 2000


        Issued on behalf of Reed International P.L.C. and Elsevier NV         
                                                                              
                                                                              
  Reed Elsevier Appoints Chief Executive Officer for its Global B2B Division  

Reed Elsevier plc today announced that it has appointed Gerard van de Aast to
the new position of Chief Executive Officer of its global Business to Business
division.  Mr van de Aast will join the company on 1 December and will be
based at Reed Elsevier's head office in London.  He will be a main board
director and will report to Crispin Davis, Reed Elsevier's Chief Executive
Officer.

Mr van de Aast (43) joins Reed Elsevier from Compaq where, most recently as a
member of Compaq's senior management team in Europe, Middle East and Asia, he
was Vice President and General Manager of Compaq's Enterprise Solutions and
Services Group responsible for several billion dollars of total revenues.
Formerly, he was Vice President of Compaq's System Integration business unit
in Europe, specialising in e-business and industry-specific solutions for the
telecommunications and finance sectors.   Previously, Mr van de Aast spent six
years in the US with Digital Equipment Corporation, holding various senior
management positions including Vice President Worldwide Alliances, covering
relationships with companies such as Microsoft, Oracle and SAP, and Vice
President Business Development at Alta Vista, defining successful e-business
models.   Prior to joining Digital Equipment Corporation,
Mr van de Aast was with Philips in the Netherlands. 

Commenting on the appointment, Crispin Davis said:  'We are very fortunate to
have secured the services of Gerard to head up our Business to Business
division.  His experience in e-commerce and his international business
background are well suited to capitalise on the opportunities arising from new
technology.  His ability to forge relationships and develop successful
e-business models based on customer-focused propositions will be a key
attribute in driving forward our strategy in the business to business arena.' 

Contact:
Susanna Smart - 020 7227 5670
 
Notes to Editors

The Reed Elsevier Business to Business segment comprises Cahners Business
Information in the US; Elsevier Business Information in continental Europe;
Reed Business Information in the UK; and the worldwide trade show
organisation, Reed Exhibition Companies.  Revenue for the Business to Business
segment for the year ended 31 December 1999 was £1,470m. The portfolio of
market leading brands within this segment include New Scientist, Computer
Weekly, Flight International and Estates Gazette in the UK; Variety,
Publishers News, Design News, Restaurants & Institutions and Construction News
in the US; Elsevier, Beleggers Belangen and FEM de Week in continental Europe;
and trade shows such as Hotelympia, World Travel Market, MIPcom and the PGA
Merchandise Show.  Totaljobs.com, the recruitment site, ComputerWeekly.com,
DoctorUpdate.net, e-inSITE, buildingteam.com, manufacturing.net and zibb.nl.
are amongst the more than 100 associated websites.  

Reed Elsevier plc (www.reedelsevier.com) is a world leading publisher and
information provider.  It is owned equally by Reed International P.L.C (NYSE:
RUK) and Elsevier NV (NYSE: ENL).  Operating in the scientific, legal and
business-to-business industry sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high value and
flexible information solutions to professional end users, with increasing
emphasis on internet delivery. Building on its strong position in key markets
and its established brands and content, the company is investing aggressively
in the migration of its portfolio to electronic delivery, with links to a
wider range of content-related services and transactional capabilities.