FREMONT, Calif., May 17, 2001 -- Lexar Media, Inc. (NSDQ: LEXR), a leading designer, developer and marketer of award-winning high-performance digital film and connectivity products for the digital photography market, expands its global representation by announcing today the appointment of Maxwell Optical Industries Pty., Limited as distributor to the Australia and Norfolk Island markets. Maxwell Optical will offer the full line of Lexar Media digital film and connectivity products as a key brand to professional, government, education, pre-press and consumer accounts. Paul McGuire, vice president of OEM and international sales, noted that partnering with knowledgeable distributors will continue to build Lexar Media's global presence: "Maxwell Optical has worked with consumer and professional photography accounts in this territory for more than ten years. Maxwell has phenomenal market penetration and a solid understanding of digital photography, representing such companies as Nikon, Lowepro and Mamiya." "Lexar Media is an important addition to our company's offerings," said John Swainston, managing director for Maxwell Optical. "The company has long been known as a leading supplier of superior digital film and connectivity products, with excellent speed and overall high-performance for today's market. We look forward to introducing Lexar products at Photo Imaging 2001 in Brisbane, Australia." Maxwell Optical will represent Lexar Media's digital film line including CompactFlash, SmartMedia, PC Card, Memory Stick and MultiMediaCard formats, plus the Universal Digital Film Reader, FireWire CompactFlash Reader and SmartMedia Reader. Within the Asia Pacific region, Lexar Media has current distributor relationships with Kips.com, Korea; TA Macalister, New Zealand; NIKS, Thailand; Boon and Co., Singapore and PT Aneka Warna Indah Photo, Indonesia.