Durham, N.C. – Bell and Howell, represented by its CEO Ramesh L. Ratan, has been elected non-postal vice chair of the Universal Postal Union’s Direct Marketing Advisory Board (DMAB). The company joins newly elected chair La Poste Tunisienne, represented by Khaled Abid, and postal vice chair Poste Italiane, represented by Stefano Rasi, in leading the DMAB’s Steering Committee. All three members will serve a term lasting from 2017 to 2020. 

The UPU is an intergovernmental organization and a specialized agency of the United Nations that regulates international mail exchanges among its 192 member countries, and helps to ensure a universal network of up-to-date postal products and services.

The DMAB is a user-funded subsidiary body established under the UPU’s Postal Operations Council, with active membership and participation from private companies and industry associations. Its mission is to foster the growth of direct marketing through the mail by positioning designated operators as important direct marketing channels, and contributing to economic and market expansion by increasing market knowledge and developing the expertise of stakeholders at all levels.

“Bell and Howell joined the UPU’s Direct Marketing Advisory Board in 2014, and we have enjoyed sharing from our extensive experience and innovative approaches to promote global best practices in direct mail,” said Ratan. “We are honored to be elected non-postal vice chair and will continue to work to advance the goals of the group.”