SUFFERN, N.Y. -- (Business Wire)

Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) , announced today that Jay S. Levine has been selected by ExecRank as a “Top Chief Accounting Officer” for 2012. Levine ranked number 31 overall, and number 5 in the Retail sector, out of more than 30,000 Chief Accounting Officers and Controllers in the United States. The rankings are the result of 2-years of research and feedback from evaluation committees and top Chief Accounting Officers that yielded an algorithm for how to rank CAOs based on their performance in 24 key areas.

According to Adam Navrozally, Analyst for the rankings division of ExecRank, “Mr. Levine has over twenty years of executive experience in leadership and accounting, most notably in the retail and media & entertainment industries. His record of success in regulatory reporting and financial operations makes him a great asset to Ascena Retail Group. Mr. Levine is highly regarded in the Retail Industry, and amongst other Accounting Executives.”

David Jaffe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ascena Retail Group commented, “We are pleased to see that Jay is deservedly being recognized as one of the top Chief Accounting Officers in America. Jay’s leadership and strong business acumen have served us well in helping us create a world-class shared services environment to support our family of brands, and in the integration of our latest acquisition of Charming Shoppes.”

Mr. Levine added, “I’d like to thank ExecRank for its recognition of my contributions to the field of accounting, fair and responsible financial reporting, and good corporate governance over the past 20-plus years. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to work through many transformative and complex transactions with so many top-notch executives and colleagues through the years, particularly at Time Warner and now at Ascena Retail Group.”

There are over 30,000 Chief Accounting Officers and Controllers in the United States. Only the very best are awarded the distinction of being a part of ExecRank’s “Top Chief Accounting Rankings” for 2012. The number one area of focus for Top CAOs in 2012 has been their role in maintaining financial controls and adherence to increasingly difficult reporting compliance. ExecRank also weighed heavily the recommendations provided by the CFOs and CEOs of the finalists, as the accounting process is crucial to analyzing the company’s past and future performance. In addition, there was a significant uptick in the number of CAOs that served on boards of directors and displayed a skill set that is applicable to multiple industries. The CAOs that made this list represent the best of the best in their field.

For the complete rankings, please visit www.ExecRank.com.

About Ascena Retail Group, Inc.

Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA) is a leading specialty retailer offering clothing, shoes, and accessories for missy and plus-size women and tween girls, under the Justice, Lane Bryant, maurices, dressbarn and Catherines brands. Ascena Retail Group, Inc. operates through its subsidiaries approximately 3,800 stores throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

For more information about Ascena Retail Group, Inc. and its brands, visit www.ascenaretail.com, www.charmingshoppes.com, www.shopjustice.com, www.lanebryant.com, www.maurices.com, www.dressbarn.com, www.catherines.com, www.cacique.com, www.figis.com and www.figisgallery.com.

About ExecRank

ExecRank is the definitive ranking service of leading executives who have achieved the highest level of professional achievement and peer recognition. ExecRank was founded by Jonathan Aspatore, one of the most authoritative figures in business publishing. As former CEO of one of the 5 largest business book publishing houses (Aspatore Books), and current CEO of three other business media companies. Jonathan has published over 5,000 of the world’s top business and legal executives, including C-Level executives (CEO, CFO, CTO, CMO, COO) from 74% of the Fortune 500 and senior level partners from 100% of the AmLaw 200 largest law firms. As the creator of the patent-pending, proprietary algorithm that took 2 years to develop for ExecRank, Jonathan is uniquely qualified to have created a system that ranks leading executives. ExecRank rankings reach over 6 million readers a year in the United States alone given our partnerships

Contacts:

Ascena Retail Group, Inc.
Investor Relations
845-369-4600
or
ICR, Inc.
James Palczynski, 203-682-8229
Senior Managing Director
jp@ircinc.com
or
ExecRank
Adam Navrozally, 415-578-7426 ext. 130
adam@execrank.com

Source: Ascena Retail Group, Inc.