BERLIN, May 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Messrs. Graeme John and Elmar Toime received the Industry Leadership Award at the 2004 World Mail Awards in Berlin on May 25th. The award, which is sponsored by Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI), was presented to both gentlemen by Michael J. Critelli, Chairman and CEO of Pitney Bowes. The Industry Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing the postal and mailing industry.

"Pitney Bowes is proud to recognize Mr. John and Mr. Toime for their leadership in the mailing industry and present them with this award for 2004," said Mr. Critelli.

Mr. John was recognized for his leadership of Australia Post where he has served as Managing Director since 1993. Under Mr. John's stewardship, Australia Post improved productivity by 60%. During his first 10 years at the helm, the basic postage rate remained constant, even after absorbing a 10% good and services tax. While maintaining low prices, Australia Post also delivers high service performance of over 96% and Customer satisfaction stands at 91%. Mr. Steve Walter of Australia Post accepted the award on Mr. John's behalf.

Mr. Toime was recognized for his leadership of New Zealand Post where he served as Chief Executive from 1993 to 2003. During his career with New Zealand Post, Mr. Toime transformed the organization into one of the highest rated postal services in the world. Perhaps the most notable challenge faced by the Post was deregulation of the letter market in 1998 that created many new competing postal companies. Contrary to predictions, New Zealand Post retained the bulk of its market share and New Zealand Post customers today still enjoy one of the lowest standard letter prices in the Industrialized world.

By design, the award is intended to recognize a single individual leader in the postal industry each year. However, since this is only the second year of this award, the Judging Committee found itself facing a "backlog" of many outstanding candidates. So, for 2004, the Industry Leadership Award has made a one-time deviation from recognizing a single leader in the postal field by recognizing these two outstanding individuals.

Messrs. John and Mr. Toime were selected by an independent judging committee of five distinguished individuals in the postal and mailing industry. The judging committee included Michael Crew, Professor, Rutgers University; Ulf Dahlsten, former Managing Director, Sweden Post; Thomas Leavey, Director General, Universal Postal Union; Ad Scheepbouwer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, KPN and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, TNT Post Group and last year's winner of the Industry Leadership Award Dr. Klaus Zumwinkel, Chairman of the Board of Deutsche Post AG.

The non-voting chair of the judging committee is David Treworgy, a partner in the postal industry sector of IBM Business Consulting Services. Mr. Treworgy facilitated the deliberations of the judging committee but did not participate in the voting process.

"Pitney Bowes has been involved in the World Mail Awards since its inception and is pleased to sponsor this prestigious award," added Mr. Critelli. "This award recognizes those who have contributed to the success of our industry and help shape the future of the postal systems worldwide."

Pitney Bowes will also make a charitable donation or provide funding for an educational initiative of each winner's designation.

Pitney Bowes is the world's leading provider of integrated mail and document management systems, services and solutions. The $4.6 billion company helps organizations of all sizes reduce costs, increase effectiveness and enhance customer relationships. The company's 80-plus years of technological leadership has produced many major innovations in the mailing industry and more than 3,500 active patents with applications in a variety of markets, including printing, shipping, encryption, and financial services. With approximately 33,000 employees worldwide, Pitney Bowes serves more than 2 million businesses through direct and dealer operations. More information about Pitney Bowes can be found at http://www.pb.com.

     Dan Burris
     Pitney Bowes Inc.
     203-351-6477


SOURCE  Pitney Bowes
    -0-                             05/26/2004
    /CONTACT:  Dan Burris, Pitney Bowes Inc., +1-203-351-6477/
    /Web site:  http://www.pb.com/
    (PBI)

CO:  Pitney Bowes
ST:  Germany, Connecticut
IN:  OFP
SU:  AWD

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3156 05/26/2004 09:24 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com