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Women Fuel Global Expansion of CBL Data Recovery Technologies

MARKHAM, ON — March 6, 2006 — CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc. (CBL), a leading international provider of computer data recovery services, celebrates International Women’s Week by recognizing several of the women at CBL whose contributions have helped transform the Canadian firm into a global success.

Yimei Cao leads the team of engineers who perform successful recoveries of data for customers at CBL’s laboratory located near Toronto. The Nanjing, Jansu native and graduate of University of Science and Technology of China is a driving force behind the development of new procedures and best practices used by CBL engineers worldwide to recover lost data from RAID systems. When personnel at CBL’s international data recovery laboratories require assistance, they turn to Cao, a PhD candidate and former Nanjing University associate professor, for her experience, knowledge and analytical skills to remotely analyze and recommend solutions to a particular client’s data loss predicament.

A cooperative venture between CBL and the Chinese government in 2000 facilitated the establishment of a data recovery laboratory in Beijing managed by Ye Hong under the auspices of CBL co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Zhengong Chang. Ms Hong, Senior Engineer and Vice Director of China’s Information Security Research and Service Institution of the State Information Center, is responsible for all aspects of the joint venture including the management of the technical staff as well as the marketing and sales efforts in China.

“Under Ye Hong’s directives, the Beijing operation has experienced 30 per cent growth each year,” says Chang. “We are extremely proud of Ms Hong’s accomplishments and the efforts of her data recovery team. In the Chinese market, it is important to have a strong individual at the helm and Ye Hong is that person.”

Down under, Canadian Vicky Brauner was responsible for establishing CBL’s presence and has single-handedly driven its impressive growth in the Australian market since 2003. A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Ms Brauner joined CBL in 1997 after graduating in Computer Programming and a successful career in the travel industry. While at CBL’s headquarters near Toronto, Brauner became immersed in the IT world and the marketing activities of the company. Now, as Managing Director of the Australian operations, her keen business, management and people skills are contributing factors to CBL’s exponential growth in the region. Sales have doubled each year.

“The sheer increase in the number of recovery jobs coming through our doors in the past 12 months combined with the interest of resellers has necessitated the need for a dedicated channel manager,” Brauner says. In the sophisticated, fast-paced IT sector, Ms Brauner reminds the CBL staff that, “When customers lose business-critical, valuable or sentimental data, an empathetic voice on the telephone is important.”

Since 2004, Maria do Carmo has provided valuable assistance to computer users throughout Brazil and South America. With a positive outlook and a master’s degree in Physical Education from Campinas University, the Sao Paulo native keeps busy managing CBL’s operations in South America and providing customers with a superior level of customer service during their data loss disasters. As a result of Ms do Carmo’s recent opening of a facility in Buenos Aries, computer users in Argentina now have improved access to CBL’s expert data recovery services.

“Keep an open mind and take advantage of opportunities presented to you. It is important to be flexible in order to assume different roles,” Ms do Carmo advises young women entering the work force. “It is also key to balance your business life with your personal life.”

In Singapore, Client Services Representative Ferhana Ashiblie provides a positive experience for customers such as Michelle Vachon, a writer for The Cambodia Daily, the sole English-language daily newspaper published in Phnom Penh. Ms Vachon’s hard drive crashed following six days of reporting and she thought she had lost hundreds of digital photos as well as digitally-recorded interviews.

“When I arrived at CBL, I was desperate,” Ms Vachon says. “I felt like a person walking into emergency at a hospital, too sick to focus. The moment I stepped into CBL’s office, I knew I was in good hands. Ferhana Ashiblie welcomed me with a smile, exactly like a doctor reassuring the distressed patient that I was. She listened, asked questions, commiserated with me, and explained the procedure. By the time I left CBL, I knew all would turn out fine.”

The quality of service provided by Ms Ashiblie and others has contributed immensely to CBL’s expansion in Asia and success around the globe.

Gerlinde Wolf, a native of Kaiserslautern, is instrumental in CBL’s continued growth in Germany and continental Europe. In the IT sector where obstacles present themselves on a daily basis, Mrs. Wolf manages the recruitment of new resellers along with the execution of numerous operational, administrative and marketing initiatives. In January 2006, she completed the opening of a new branch office in Zurich to cater to the European financial community. Wolf notes, “I always thought IT is a very important sector of the economy. In very few jobs will women face new challenges and have to learn new things all the time.”

Under Elaine Watson’s leadership, CBL has firmly established itself in the IT sector of the United Kingdom. In Newcastle, the Tyne & Wear native and GM is poised to strategically lead CBL’s UK operations on its continued path to success. In 2005, CBL established a presence in London. On a daily basis, Ms Watson converses with IT managers and executives from different companies who are accustomed to speaking with men when they require computer assistance. Watson says the key to success in a traditionally male dominated industry is determination and a good sense of humour.” CBL considers any applicant whom it feels is right for the job regardless of gender.”

In the Caribbean where many women find employment in the hospitality and tourism industry, Michelle Walker has combined dedication and hard work with her education, a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Information Technology, to increase CBL’s sales 45 per cent in the region last year. Following her graduation from the University of West Indies, Ms Walker wore many hats. She repaired computers, taught courses at a local computer school and tutored students at the university. Today, the GM of CBL’s Caribbean operations in Bridgetown, Barbados recommends to young women, “Don’t for one second think that this is a man’s world or you won’t be able to succeed in it.” She encourages young women to consider careers in IT. “It is dynamic, always changing, and never boring.”

The financial management and reporting activities of a successful international organization demands an individual who is not afraid of hard work. A 10-year veteran of CBL, Carol Hilliard enjoys the challenges of managing the finances of CBL as it has grown and continues to expand globally. The Toronto native has witnessed and balanced the financial side of CBL’s growth in North America as well as its expansion abroad. With plans to retire in five years, Ms Hilliard reflects on her employer, “CBL is a wonderful place to work. It is like one big family where everyone works together and cares about one another. CBL allows you to work on your own initiative and to work hard.”

At CBL, there’s no denying that the hard work of these women and others leads to success and gender is not a barrier to achieving it.

About CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc. (www.cbldatarecovery.com)

Founded in 1993, CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc. is the leading independent provider of data recovery services and software. CBL employs proprietary techniques to recover data from storage devices including hard drives, tapes, RAIDs and external storage media. CBL offers services through its global network of data recovery laboratories, offices and authorized partners. In the United States, CBL has data recovery laboratories in Armonk, New York; Atlanta, Georgia; San Diego, California, and Houston, Texas.

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