Pitney Bowes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 13

9Pitney Bowes Annual Report 2015
keep up with the transformation of our enterprise. That
is why we’ve made a substantial investment in updating
our brand, launching the first major Pitney Bowes ad
campaign — “Craftsmen of Commerce” — in more than
a decade.
Craftsmen of Commerce is rooted as much in tradition
as it is in transformation. It circles back to the idea that
everything we do has its roots in what we have always
done. It highlights traditions that remain as relevant as
ever — accuracy, precision, attention to detail — but
describes how we’re adding leading-edge technology to
create a powerful value proposition in the 21st century.
This investment in our brand helps solidify our position
as a leading technology company that uniquely straddles
the intersecting worlds of physical and digital commerce.
As a result, there are clients worldwide who will see
Pitney Bowes in a whole new way. This is vital to our
success, both in our traditional businesses and in the
businesses that will drive our future growth.
Building a Bridge to Our Second Century
There is a growing orthodoxy in business today that
executives, investors and other stakeholders are overly
focused on the short term at the expense of the long-
term value. There is ample evidence to support this
thesis. Pitney Bowes proudly stands apart from this
trend. In a year with macroeconomic challenges, the
expedient thing to do would have been to “pause”
our ERP project, defer our much-needed rebranding
campaign and slash development. These would
have been the easy things to do, but they would
not have been the right things to do.
Since our founding, Pitney Bowes has been about
doing the right thing, the right way. This management
team and this transformation are about building long-
term value for all of our shareholders and creating a
platform for our company to have a successful second
century. We will be unwavering in our determination
to be true to our company’s legacy.
Our Greatest Advantage
Midway through our transformation, it is clear to
me that the success we’ve had is based on some very
important advantages: solid, integrated businesses with
highly relevant products … a vision and strategy that
are resonating extremely well with our clients … a strong
balance sheet that enables us to invest in innovation
and growth … and a business model that creates new
market opportunities. Very few companies have all of
these assets.
When I think about what best symbolizes our year,
it is the new clients we’ve added, including a list of
world-class retailers who have come to us because
of our ecommerce platform. You can tell a lot about
a company by the company it keeps, and I’m proud of
the work we’ve done to attract these global clients.
This roster looks great in the business press, and it
says a lot about our progress.
But what most people don’t see — and what gratifies
me the most as I travel around the company — is the
engagement and enthusiasm of our people. They
have embraced the responsibility of moving our
company forward — of creating lasting value for
our shareholders by delivering real value to clients
worldwide. Our people are dedicated, determined,
resolute and passionate about what they do. They are
upholding our tradition of doing the right thing, the
right way, while delivering value in entirely new ways.
They are more than employees — they are true
craftsmen of commerce.
Marc B. Lautenbach
President and
Chief Executive Ocer