SAO PAULO, Brazil, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gafisa S.A. (Bovespa: GFSA3; NYSE: GFA), Brazil's leading diversified national homebuilder, announced today that the Board of Directors elected Mr. Brian O'Neill to serve as an independent director. This appointment brings the Board to seven members, four of whom are independent. Mr. O'Neill recently retired as Managing Director and Vice Chairman, Investment Banking Latin America for JP Morgan. He has worked with Latin America for most of his 30-year tenure with the Bank, and he lived in the region for 12 years. In addition to his distinguished career as a senior executive in Latin American investment banking, Mr. O'Neill is a life member of The Council on Foreign Relations; Fellow of the Foreign Policy Association; member of the Advisory Committee of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University; and director of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas. He also serves as a director of Commercebank, NA and member of the supervisory board of Erste Bank. "We are very pleased to welcome Brian O'Neill to the Gafisa Board," said Gary Garrabrant, Chairman. "Brian has been a trusted advisor to many of the most prominent companies in the region. We look forward to benefiting from his knowledge and expertise as we build upon our leadership in the homebuilding industry." About Gafisa Gafisa is one of Brazil's leading homebuilding companies focusing on residential markets. Over the last 50 years, we have completed and sold more than 900 developments and constructed nearly 37 million square meters, believed to be more than any other residential development company in Brazil. Gafisa is one of the best-known brands in the real estate development market, enjoying a reputation among potential homebuyers, brokers, lenders, landowners and competitors for quality, consistency and professionalism. For additional information: Investor Relations Carlos Gros Phone: +55 11 3025-9305 Fax: +55 11 3025-9217 E-mail: Website: http://www.gafisa.com.br/ir Media Relations (US - Europe) Media Relations (Brazil) Eileen Boyce Joana Santos Reputation Partners Maquina da Noticia Phone: +1 312 222 9126 Phone: +55 11 3147-7900 Fax: +1 312 222 9755 Fax: +55 11 3147-7900 DATASOURCE: Gafisa S.A. CONTACT: Investors, Carlos Gros, Gafisa, +011-5511-3025-9305, fax, +011-5511-3025-9217, ; or Media, (US - Europe) Eileen Boyce, Reputation Partners, +1-312-222-9126, fax, +1-312-222-9755, ; or Media, (Brazil), Joana Santos, Maquina da Noticia, +011-5511-3147-7900, fax, +011-5511-3147-7900, Web site: http://www.gafisa.com.br/

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