News Releases

British entrepreneur takes the helm of staffing company's
Australian, New Zealand and Southeast Asian operations.


WALNUT CREEK, CA, May 14, 2002
Westaff, Inc. (NASDAQ: WSTF) announced today the appointment of Nigel Haworth as Managing Director of Westaff Australasia to oversee Westaff's subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand. Westaff is a U.S.-based provider of temporary administrative, light industrial and light technical staff.

Haworth of Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, brings twenty years of experience to Westaff in the recruitment/staffing industry, having been involved in building about a dozen recruitment businesses in areas such as insurance, IT and financial service companies in the United Kingdom. Most recently, the British entrepreneur was Managing Director of Alexander Mann in Melbourne, Australia.

"Nigel combines great practical experience with a strong business perspective and entrepreneurial drive," said Westaff President and CEO, Dwight Pedersen. "With his talent and business acumen, I have no doubt that he will make Westaff Australasia world class in service delivery and bottom line performance."

Among Haworth's plans for Westaff Australasia are to increase the company's name recognition, diversify service offerings, and forge closer partnerships with clients. Haworth said he takes a long term approach to building business relationships, with a strong emphasis on delivering on promises to clients. Haworth also plans to promote a Westaff Australasia business culture that is innovative, open to the exchange of ideas, and inspired by market challenges.

"There are two things that really excite me," Haworth said. "I like to take businesses forward. I also enjoy empowering the people who work with me through knowledge, shared ownership and a common vision that will drive a whole business towards greater market share."

"There's also no better feeling than the one you get from finding a person a great job and completely filling a client's needs," he said.

Haworth, who officially took the helm on January 15, eventually hopes to expand Westaff's business in the Middle East and in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

The 43-year-old has lived in Australia for three years, is married to Susie, a Melbournian, and has a two-year-old daughter, Tali Belle. His hobbies include swimming, tennis, and spending time with his family. He feels fortunate to be able to raise a family in Australia, he said: "The education system is good and the environment is great. In fact, I think it is one of the best places in the world to raise children."

Westaff Australasia, based in South Melbourne, Victoria, has 28 branches in Australia and New Zealand, and services 2003 clients in Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Westaff is a leading provider of staffing services and employment opportunities for businesses in global markets. With headquarters in Walnut Creek, California, Westaff annually employs approximately 175,000 people and services more than 20,000 clients from more than 330 offices located throughout Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark. Westaff achieved fiscal 2001 system revenues of more than $580 million. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.westaff.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and future performance of the Company that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. We refer you to documents that the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports. Those documents contain a description of certain factors that could cause actual results to differ from current expectations and the forward-looking statements in this press release.