Business News

Pitney Bowes Appoints Murray Martin Chairman of the Board

Wednesday 10. September 2008 - The Board of Directors of Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI) today announced that effective January 1, 2009 Pitney Bowes Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Murray D. Martin will become Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Martin has been CEO since May 2007 and he will retain these responsibilities when this new appointment becomes effective.

The company previously announced Michael J. Critelli’s decision to retire as Executive Chairman and Director at the end of 2008.
Commenting on the appointment, Lead Director James H. Keyes noted, “We are pleased to add chairmanship of the Board to Murray’s responsibilities. Since becoming CEO he has displayed a passion and commitment to delivering enhanced customer and shareholder value. We look forward to his strong leadership and are excited about the many opportunities that the company has ahead.”
Mr. Martin is succeeding Mr. Critelli who joined the company in 1979, as a staff attorney. Mr. Critelli’s rise through the company included successful leadership positions as general counsel, chief personnel officer, president of Pitney Bowes Financial Services, and vice chairman. He was named chief executive officer in 1996, and chairman in 1997. He stepped down from the CEO role in 2007 when he was named executive chairman.
Mr. Critelli’s tenure has been one of transformation and growth for Pitney Bowes. He led the strategic repositioning of the company to focus on growth opportunities in three areas: its core mailstream business, higher-growth businesses in adjacent markets, and geographies outside the U.S. His industry leadership roles included serving as co-chairman of the Mailing Industry Task Force, and as chairman of the Mailing Industry CEO Council. Mr. Critelli spearheaded the decade-long effort to unify mailing industry leadership to help enact comprehensive postal transformation and reform in the United States, which was signed into law in December 2006.
Prior to becoming CEO Mr. Martin served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Pitney Bowes from 2004 to 2007, with responsibility for all of the company’s business lines as well as Global Procurement and Sourcing and Pitney Bowes Advanced Concepts and Technology Center. Under his leadership, the company expanded its reach throughout all segments of the mailstream including mail services and work sharing with the acquisition of PSI, software with the acquisition of Group 1, and marketing services with the acquisition of Imagitas. Previously he served as Executive Vice President and Group President, Global Mailstream Solutions (GMS), which was the company’s core mail finishing, production and shipping business. Under his management GMS produced the next generation of technological innovations in the mailing industry including patents with applications in printing, shipping, encryption and financial services. Mr. Martin himself is the holder of a patent for a closed loop postage metering system.
Mr. Martin’s 20-year tenure with the company has been marked by his combination of mailing and document management expertise and a deep knowledge and understanding of international markets. Before heading GMS, he led the profitable turnaround of the company’s international operations as President of Pitney Bowes International. During his tenure he managed businesses in over 100 countries and created new businesses in New Zealand, India, South Africa, Thailand, and China for Pitney Bowes. Mr. Martin also has extensive experience in document management, having joined Pitney Bowes in 1987 as President of Dictaphone Canada, and later as President of Pitney Bowes Copier Systems in the U.S. Copier Systems became the most profitable company in the industry during his tenure.
Mr. Martin is a member of the board of The Brinks Company, the Business Council of Fairfield County, and the New Horizons Foundation. He has also served on the boards of the World Affairs Forum, United Way International and Young Life.