TMP Worldwide/Monster.com Acquires FastWeb; Acquisition Strengthens Monster.com as Lifelong Career and Information Resource

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2001--TMP Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: TMPW), the world's leading supplier of human capital solutions, including the pre-eminent Internet career portal Monster.com, today announced that on June 29th, it acquired FastWeb, the nation's largest and leading scholarship website. The acquisition further positions Monster.com as a central resource for career and education information to help guide high school students through college before they embark on the next chapter in their lives and careers. The terms and conditions of the acquisition were not disclosed.

FastWeb, based in Skokie, IL, is the category-leading website offering over 600,000 scholarship opportunities representing over $1 billion in capital, a personalized college search function, matching students against over 4,000 colleges, and a direct marketing/permission-based marketing product. One out of three college-bound students, signifying more than 11 million consumers and over 14,000 profiles a day, have registered with FastWeb since its launch in 1995. In just six years, FastWeb has attained profitability and has established itself as one of the most trusted college resources and brands on the Internet with agreements with over 16,000 high schools and colleges, as well as being recommended by one out of two high school guidance counselors and promoted by over 20,000 websites.

"The acquisition of FastWeb is an integral piece of Monster.com's vision of becoming the comprehensive college and career information site for students. With approximately 50% of college-bound students applying for an average of $2,500 in student loans, scholarship opportunities are in the minds of students and families, and in many cases, a critical factor in college and career decisions," said Jeff Taylor, CEO of Monster.com. "With FastWeb, Monster.com can now offer hundreds of thousands of scholarship opportunities to assist students and their families find the right college that will lead to a propitious life and career."

"FastWeb brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the college space to Monster.com," said Tom Lubin, President of FastWeb. "With Monster.com already the leading online careers site for students, college students across the nation will now further benefit from robust college and career content offerings, including access to FastWeb's leading scholarship search engine and a comprehensive college search functionality."

FastWeb is the latest component on the intern side of Monster.com's `Intern to CEO' strategy, representing continued expansion into the high school and college space. On June 6th, Monster.com launched MonsterTRAK, the leading global online careers site for college students and alumni to find entry-level jobs, internships, and part-time work during school and after graduation. More recently, on June 21st, Monster.com announced that it closed the acquisition of CollegeLink.com, a leading online destination for college-bound students and their families for guidance and information on the college admission process, including online college applications and submissions of applications for financial aid and scholarships. Nearly 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide are part of the CollegeLink.com community. Additionally, "Making It Count," an offline business division within CollegeLink.com, offers free in-school presentation programs and motivational talks to high school students nationwide, designed to assist and prepare college-bound high school students for success in high school, college, and beyond. More than 5,000 high schools nationwide participate in the Making It Count program. Together, these product offerings give high school and college students information and help for every step along their lifelong educational and vocational ventures.

About Monster.com

Monster.com, headquartered in Maynard, Mass., is the leading global careers website, recording over 26.9 million unique visits during the month of May 2001 according to independent research conducted by I/PRO. Monster.com connects the most progressive companies with the most qualified career-minded individuals, offering innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process. The Monster.com global network consists of local content and language sites in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg, India, and Italy. More information about Monster.com is available at www.monster.com or by calling 1-800-MONSTER.

About TMP Worldwide

Founded in 1967, TMP Worldwide Inc., with more than 9,500 employees in 32 countries, is the online recruitment leader, the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency network, and one of the world's largest Executive Search and Executive Selection agencies. TMP Worldwide, headquartered in New York, is also the world's largest Yellow Pages advertising agency and a provider of direct marketing services. The company's clients include more than 90 of the Fortune 100 and more than 480 of the Fortune 500 companies. In June 2001, TMP Worldwide was added to the S&P 500 Index. More information about TMP Worldwide is available at www.tmp.com.

About FastWeb

FastWeb is the nation's recognized leader in helping students make the decisions that shape their lives: choosing a college, paying for college and finding jobs during and after college. Recommended by over 16,000 guidance counselors and financial aid officers, FastWeb is the most trusted college resource on the Web. Last year, one of three college-bound high school seniors used the site, and more than 700 magazine and newspaper articles recommended FastWeb. FastWeb lets students create a personalized profile that can be matched against its expansive databases of colleges and scholarships. As the oldest and most popular free online scholarship matching service, the database has more than 600,000 scholarships totaling over $1 billion.

Special Note: The above statements include forward-looking statements based on current management expectations. Factors that could cause future results to differ from these expectations include the following: risks associated with acquisitions, competition and seasonality. Additional factors are described in the company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

--30--dp/bos*