STAMFORD, Conn., March 3 - Pitney Bowes Inc. announced today it has appointed Michele Mayes to the position of Senior Vice President and General Counsel. "Michele's extensive legal and global business experience is a valuable asset for Pitney Bowes during a time of tremendous company transformation," stated Michael J. Critelli, Chairman and CEO, Pitney Bowes. "Her breadth of legal experience obtained through positions at the U. S. Attorney's office in Detroit, experience as a law school professor, and expertise in intellectual property law and human resources management will aid us as our business grows into new markets both domestically and overseas." Ms. Mayes joins Pitney Bowes after nearly eleven years at the Colgate Palmolive Company where she was most recently Vice President-Legal, Assistant Secretary and Corporate Officer. In that capacity she co-managed the Global Legal function, with an emphasis on the groups that most directly impacted Colgate's day-to-day business operations: Trademarks, Patents and Marketing and Technology. Ms. Mayes also served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel-International and Corporate, where she was responsible for international legal matters and overseeing general corporate transactions including acquisitions, mergers and divestitures. Additionally, Ms. Mayes was Vice President of Human Resources and Legal for Colgate North America, developing and implementing strategies to support business goals within North America. Prior to joining Colgate Palmolive, Ms. Mayes was at the Unisys Corporation where she served in various legal positions, including Staff Vice President in charge of litigation worldwide. She has also served in the United States Attorney's Office as an Assistant United States Attorney, becoming Chief of the Civil Division for the Eastern District of Michigan. Ms. Mayes has held teaching appointments at Wayne State University Law School and Illinois State University. Ms. Mayes received her B. A. and J. D. degrees from the University of Michigan. Her legal association activity includes past membership on the American Bar Association's (ABA) Commission on Women in the Profession, and the Arbitration Committee of the Section of Litigation of the ABA, which she co-chaired. She joined the Board of NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund in 1996 and assumed Chair of that Board in June 2001.