(EMAILWIRE.COM, December 17, 2001 ) Tom McCartney, a 20-year veteran of the electronic components distribution industry, has been named president of Avnet Kent, the Americas-based interconnect, passive & electromechanical (IP&E) division of Avnet Electronics Marketing, and the largest IP&E distributor in the world. McCartney will assume the post on Jan. 1, 2002. McCartney replaces Larry Olson as president of Avnet Kent. Olson joined Avnet in June 2001 with the acquisition of Kent Electronics. He cited personal and family reasons for leaving Avnet to return to Houston, Tex. Olson will continue his association with Avnet after his departure on March 31, 2002, when he is slated to join Avnet, Inc.'s management board. "Larry's leadership has been instrumental in Avnet Kent's attaining its premier position in the industry. He built a strong management team and an organization that gained market share in its first full quarter of operation," said Brian Hilton, president of Avnet Electronics Marketing. "He leaves a dynamic business that will continue to excel under Tom McCartney's leadership. "Tom brings two solid decades of IP&E experience. In his 18 years with the Avnet organization, he's held almost every key position and has a proven track record in this business. He has truly earned this responsibility," Hilton added. McCartney has served as senior vice president/director of the IP&E Product Business Group, Avnet Electronics Marketing/Americas, for the last three years. Prior to that he was vice president/director of Avnet EM/Americas' Passive & Electromechanical Product Business Unit. Having begun his career in distribution in the early 1980s, he later joined Time Electronics, an Avnet company, where he spent 14 years and advanced his career through positions in sales, branch and regional management. He was named vice president/area director of Time in 1995. McCartney, his wife and two children, live in north Scottsdale, Ariz. Avnet Electronics Marketing is the largest operating group of Phoenix-based Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a Fortune 500 company with sales of $12.8 billion in fiscal year 2001 (year ended June 30, 2001). One of the world's largest technology marketing and services companies, Avnet Electronics Marketing distributes semiconductors, interconnect, passive and electromechanical components from leading manufacturers. The company markets, inventories and adds value to these products and provides world-class supply-chain management and engineering design services. Avnet EM serves customers in 63 countries. Its Web site is located at www.em.avnet.com. -------------------Produced for Avnet, Inc. Contact: Jan Jurcy, Public Relations Director Avnet, Inc. (480) 643-7642 -------------------

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