PARIS, May 11 -- John E. Potter, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, United States Postal Service, was honored with the Industry Leadership Award at the 2006 World Mail Awards in Paris on May 10th. The award, which is sponsored by Pitney Bowes, was presented by Michael J. Critelli, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pitney Bowes. Mr. Critelli said, "We've been involved in the World Mail Awards since its inception and are very pleased to sponsor the Industry Leadership Award. This award recognizes individuals who have contributed to the success of our industry and helped shape the future of global postal systems." Mr. Potter was recognized for his outstanding leadership of the U. S. Postal Service as demonstrated by the U. S. Postal Service's major achievements in a difficult environment. He was able to gain broad stakeholder alignment around the need for transformation in the USPS. His implementation resulted in significant network efficiencies while on-time service performance reached a record high. He increased retail access through usps.com and 24/7 kiosks. He has also supported strong relationships with private sector partners in order to bring greater value to the mail. In accepting the award, via video, Postmaster General Potter said, "This award is the result of a team of 700,000 postal employees working together. The success of the 5-year Transformation Plan is the result of good collaboration and teamwork between the USPS and the postal industry which changed the culture of their entire industry and provided greater customer value." While Pitney Bowes provides financial sponsorship, the winner has been selected though an independent Judging Panel consisting of seven distinguished individuals in the postal and mailing industry: * Robert Campbell, Dean of Arts and Professor of Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, * Edouard Dayan, Director General, Universal Postal Union, * Helge Israelsen, CEO of Post Danmark and a previous award winner, * Graeme John, Managing Director of Australia Post and a previous award winner, * William Tan, former CEO of Singapore Post, * Elmar Toime, former CEO of New Zealand Post and a previous award winner, * Klaus Zumwinkel, Chairman of Deutsche Post World Net and a previous award winner. The non-voting chair of the Judging Panel was David Treworgy, a Partner in the Postal Industry Sector of IBM Global Business Services. Mr. Treworgy facilitated the deliberations of the Judging Panel but did not in any way participate in the evaluation process. The two other finalists for the 2006 Industry Leadership Award were also recognized: Jean-Paul Bailly, Chairman of La Poste and Dr. Ulrich Gygi, Chief Executive Officer of Swiss Post. Pitney Bowes will also make a charitable donation or provide funding for an educational initiative of Mr. Potter's designation.