STAMFORD, Conn., July 7 -- Pitney Bowes Inc. today announced the appointment of Christopher Baker to the position of president, Group 1 Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes Inc. Effective July 1, 2005, Baker succeeds retiring Bob Bowen who served as president of Group 1 Software for twenty-one years. Baker most recently served as vice president of Sales and Customer Development at Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies. Group 1 develops software that provides an integrated Customer Communication Management (CCM) solution, which maximizes the value of customer data and improves the efficiency and effectiveness of customer communications. Pitney Bowes acquired Lanham, Maryland-based Group 1 Software in July 2004. Baker, 38, founded MailCode in 1989 and successfully managed the company's development as a leader in automated mail processing solutions. Pitney Bowes acquired MailCode in 2001. In his most recent role as vice president of Sales and Customer Development at Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies, Baker successfully contributed to significant revenue growth in the United States in 2003 and 2004, integrated three separate sales channels, and created the Automated Document Factory (ADF) Solutions Group to focus on this segment. "Chris Baker brings to his new role an outstanding combination of general management and entrepreneurial expertise, engineering knowledge, and customer interfacing capabilities," said Leslie Abi-Karam, president, Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies. "His new responsibilities include leading the Group 1 organization in delivering continued growth and innovation in the software solutions market." "Under Bob's effective leadership, Group 1 has continued to grow and provide a broad suite of industry-leading technologies that enable clients to maximize the value of their customer data," Abi-Karam added. "I'd like to thank him for his many contributions to the success of Group 1 and congratulate him on an impressive and successful career." Pitney Bowes also announced today that Patrick Brand replaces Baker as vice president, US Sales and Customer Development. Brand joined Pitney Bowes in 1983, and most recently served as vice president, Global Strategy, Product Management and Marketing for Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies. Abi-Karam explained that Brand brings to this new position strong leadership qualities and a proven record of achieving superior business results in product and marketing positions throughout the company.