Robert “Steve” S. Miller remains AIG’s nonexecutive chairman, but the insurer’s board of directors “will be assessing its [succession] plans in light of Mr. Miller’s announcement” of his new job, an AIG spokesman said.

AIG’s board outlined a management succession plan in late 2010 that would see Miller step in as interim CEO if Benmosche had to stop working. Benmosche was diagnosed with cancer in October of that year, leading the board to quickly map out the plan.

Since then, Benmosche has responded well to treatment and recently said he expects to remain CEO beyond 2012 if his health allows.

Benmosche has also said the board has identified several internal candidates who may be able to fill his shoes when the time comes.

Hawker Beechcraft named Miller as its new CEO Tuesday morning. Outgoing CEO Bill Boisture will remain chairman of the company’s operating subsidiary, Hawker Beechcraft Corp.

Miller has had a long career that has spanned the automotive, steel and waste-management industries. He has run several troubled major companies, including Delphi Corp., his last CEO job. He ran the auto-parts maker between July 2005 and September 2007, when he turned over the corner office to Rodney O’Neal. He remained executive chairman until the fall of 2009, when the company emerged from a protracted bankruptcy.

Miller is a director of Symantec Corp. SYMC +0.51% , a maker of security software, and has previously served on the board of directors of more than a dozen companies.

Miller earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Stanford University and his law degree from Harvard Law School.

–Serena Ng and Joann S. Lublin contributed to this article.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/aig-reviews-benmosche-replacement-plan-2012-02-07

Acer Inc. said Tuesday it filed the suit against Lanci, its former chief executive and president, in Italy.

The move comes after rival Lenovo Group Ltd. said last month it had hired Lanci to lead its new EMEA division.

Lanci, who left Acer in March last year, was credited by analysts, investors and people within the company for forming strong relationships with distributors in Europe, which Lenovo is keen to use to its advantage. He was replaced by Acer Chairman J.T. Wang, who intends to capitalize on the rise of tablets and multiple PC operating systems.

“Acer has a solid 2012 business plan for the European market and is back on the right track of end-to-end operations,” it said in the statement Tuesday.

Dow Jones Newswires

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lenovo-lanci-relationship-conforms-with-law-2012-02-07

Ardent Mines also exercised its exclusive option to acquire the mineral rights on the Serra do Sereno property, located in Carajas, Brazil, one of the better known mining districts in the world. Ardent Mines is headquartered in New York, and has a field office in Brasilia. The Company has 16.3 million shares outstanding, and trades under the ticker symbol ADNT.

Ardent Mines is committed to developing gold, silver, and copper mines around the world, with strong emphasis on Latin America and on Brazil in particular.

The corporate policy is to develop mining properties with maximum care for the environment.

The company has assembled an extraordinary Board of Directors and experienced Management, our most precious corporate resource.

The Mission of the Company is to create value for our shareholders by acquiring and developing a diversified portfolio of gold, silver, and copper mines, with significant reserves, as well as assembling the best professional talent, in order to effectively execute a profitable operation of these mines.

Ardent Mines has completed the acquisition of Gold Hills Mining, Ltda. in Brazil. They have retained SRK Consulting to assist us in organizing a comprehensive Exploration Program for the property, expected to start during the Summer or 2011.

On May 4, 2011, Ardent Mines signed an exclusive option to acquire the mineral rights on Serra do Sereno, a 10,000 Has. property located in Carajas, the leading mining district of Brazil, known to host the largest Iron, Gold and Copper reserves of this nation.

Upon completing the acquisition of Gold Hills Mining Ltda. and securing the mineral rights of Serra do Sereno, Ardent Mines will focus on the exploration and development of these two extraordinary properties.

Share Structure

Total Shares Outstanding: 16,273,391

Trading float: 5,895,150

Options: 1,300,000 at $4,75

Warrants: 51,600 with an exercise price of $3.85/share for 1 year, 259,741 with an excersise price of $4.15/share

Management stock ownership: 12%

Shares authorised(not issued): 100,000,000

Reporting Status U.S. Registered & Reporting: SEC Filer
Audited Financials Audited
Latest Report

CIK 0001129018
Fiscal Year End 6/30

Incorporated In: NV, USA
Year of Inc. 2000

Legal Counsel
WUERSCH & GERING LLP
100 Wall Street, 21st Fl. | New York, New York 10005
212-509-5050 (firm)| 212-509-9559 (fax)
www.wg-law.com

Stock Transfer Agent 
Pacific Stock Transfer Company
4045 South Spencer Street, Suite 403
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Tel: (702) 361-3033
Fax: (702) 433-1979
www.pacificstocktransfer.com

Auditors:
MaloneBailey, LLP
10350 Richmond Avenue, Suite 800
Houston, TX 77042
o: 713.343.4253
f: 713.343.3453
www.MaloneBailey.com

SOURCE: Ardent Mines Ltd. http://www.ardentmines.com

The Australian toll road company’s net profit for the six months to Dec. 31 rose to A$93.2 million from A$74.7 million a year earlier.

Proportional earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization–a measure closely watched by analysts–increased 7.5% to A$390.0 million, beating a Goldman Sachs forecast of A$377.5 million.

Transurban declared an interim dividend of 14.5 cents per security and stuck to its guidance for the full year of at least 29 cents.

It said the upgrade of the M2 tollway in Sydney is about half-finished and expected to reach completion in the first half of 2013. The Capital Beltway project in the U.S. is over 80% done and on track for completion by the end of 2012, it said.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/transurban-profit-up-on-traffic-volumes-cost-cuts-2012-02-06

American, whose parent filed for bankruptcy protection in November, said traffic rose 1.4% in January while capacity slid 2.1% on the year. As fuel prices climb, airlines have been reining in capacity to stay as close to demand levels as possible. Load factor–a measure of plane fullness–rose to 78.5% from 75.8%.

American Airlines said domestic capacity fell 4.4% as domestic traffic slid 1.1%. International traffic grew 5% and capacity improved 1.2%.

On Nov. 29, AMR filed for Chapter 11 protection after a decade of trying to avoid it while competitors slimmed down their cost structures in their own bankruptcy-court restructurings.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/amrs-american-air-traffic-up-14-in-january-2012-02-06

Lu said the company plans to add 2,000 staff this year to boost its cloud computing, sales and customer service. It has around 25,000 employees currently, he said.

The once-frosty relations between Beijing and Taipei have thawed since China-friendly Kuomintang took over Taiwan’s government in 2008. Among the business ties between the two sides on the telecom front, Chunghwa Telecom agreed to build an undersea cable, connecting Taiwan and China across the Pacific, with China Telecom Corp.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chunghwa-telecom-to-expand-workforce-by-8-in-2012-2012-02-04

Durcan had been Micron’s president and chief operating officer. On Saturday he was also appointed to the company’s board of directors.

Micron’s board also announced Robert E. Switz would succeed Appleton as chairman of the board, and that Mark W. Adams had been appointed president. Switz has served as a director since 2006 and is the former chairman and CEO of ADC Telecommunications. He has previously served as chair of the Micron Board’s Audit and Governance committees. Adams joined the company in 2006 and served most recently as vice president of worldwide sales.

The announcements come as the company remains shaken by the loss of its longtime leader. Appleton was a popular executive and one of the most prominent figures in the semiconductor industry.

Appleton was widely characterized as something of a daredevil, a stunt flyer who had survived a previous crash and raced motorcycles, monster cars and off-road vehicles. He also cut a maverick figure in the industry, shepherding Micron through a turbulent battle against much larger Asian competitors in the boom-and-bust market for memory chips.

“We are deeply saddened by Steve’s loss and will miss his hand at the helm,” Durcan said in the company’s statement. “I have provided the board my ongoing commitment to work with the management team and continue to move the company forward.”

–Shara Tibken and Don Clark contributed to this article.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/micron-technology-appoints-mark-durcan-as-ceo-2012-02-04

Corning’s prediction, ahead of its annual investor meeting in New York on Friday, signals confidence that it can grow its top line by selling more fiber-optic cable, smartphone cover glass and other products. Reduced demand for LCD glass — the product that represents the bulk of the company’s profit and sales — has crimped its financial performance of late.

“We now expect the telecommunications, specialty materials, environmental technologies and life sciences business segments to be the primary drivers of increased sales and profits going forward,” Chief Financial Officer Jim Flaws said in a statement.

The company said it expects LCD glass sales to be flat through 2014. Corning also reiterated its recent comments that LCD glass price declines are weighing on the company’s profitability.

Shares were up 1.5% to $13.13 in recent premarket trading.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/corning-sees-non-lcd-operations-driving-growth-2012-02-03

Hirtler-Garvey has been a member of the youth-focused apparel retailer’s board since August 2005 and has served as chairman of the board’s audit committee as well as the company’s lead independent director. She most recently served as the chief risk executive for Ally Financial Inc. and has held several management positions at Bank of America Corp. (BAC).

Geiger, who also resigned as a member of the board, became the president and chief executive officer of Crumbs Bake Shop Inc. in November. Prior to that, Geiger served as Aeropostale’s chairman and chief executive from August 1998 until February 2010.

Aeropostale, which operates children’s and teen retail chains, saw its stock slump last year as its girls’ business failed to resonate with shoppers and it saw stiffer competition from its teen rivals, including Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF), which has become more promotional.

In November, Aeropostale Inc. reported its fiscal third-quarter profit fell 59% as the company booked sharply higher input costs, though earnings topped the its raised forecast.

Shares closed at $16.64 and were unchanged after hours. The stock is up 9.1% year to date.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/aeropostale-taps-hirtler-garvey-to-chair-board-2012-02-03

The electronics and domestic appliance giant will revise its forecast to reflect a large one-off booking of goodwill for its acquisition of Sanyo Electric Co. and the effects on its business of the Thai floods and the European debt crisis, the report said. The full-year loss would be Panasonic’s first in two years, although the report added that it would still make an operating profit.

The company’s previous record net loss came in the 2001 business year, when it posted a loss of Y428 billion, the report said.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/panasonic-reported-forecasting-record-annual-loss-2012-02-02