Murray D. Martin

Stamford, Connecticut-based Pitney Bowes Inc. announced that the Pitney Bowes board of directors has appointed Marc B. Lautenbach as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.

David Pogue, the technology columnist for The New York Times, recently made an observation that really rang true with me.

It is hard to exaggerate just how extraordinary each new day seems. The mortgage crisis in the United States may have provided the spark, but the floor of the world’s economic forest was already jammed with dry tinder: too much debt, too many banks carrying too much risk, too little savings and too many imbalances throughout the global economic system.

Pitney Bowes, Stamford, Conn., announced Murray D. Martin’s role will change from president and chief operating officer to president and chief executive officer. Also, Michael J. Critelli, formerly the company’s chairman and executive officer, will become executive chairman. The recent postal reform contributed to Critelli’s new position. Said Critelli, “I am pleased that the Board agreed that the time is right to evolve our leadership structure, given both our progress in expanding the business and the emerging opportunities in the global postal and public policy environment.” Robert E. Weissman, lead director of the organization’s Board of Directors, said of Martin, “We are very