Bayer Inc.'s President and CEO Philip Blake Named IABC/Toronto's Communicator of the Year

    TORONTO, May 30 /CNW/ - The Toronto Chapter of the International
Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is pleased to announce
Philip Blake, President and CEO of Bayer Inc., as IABC/Toronto's 2008
Communicator of the Year (COTY).
    The annual award is presented to an individual in the Greater Toronto
Area who displays effective leadership communications. It distinguishes
senior-level strategists who utilize communications to gain successful
organizational results. As the head of one of the country's largest healthcare
and material sciences companies, Blake clearly illustrates an understanding of
this ideal through his communication and leadership skills. He was selected by
a group of senior IABC/Toronto communicators because of his active and
dedicated roles both in the office and the community.
    "I am so honoured to have been selected as the 2008 Communicator of the
Year," said Blake. "Effective communications is paramount to the success of
any business and should always be included in the overall strategic plan.
Bayer's audiences vary drastically from our employees at our head office and
those in the field to physicians, multiple levels of government, advocacy
groups, consumers and the media - it is of the utmost importance that we
communicate with these stakeholders frequently and with transparency."
    Blake plays a dynamic role in Bayer Inc. employee programs that encourage
well-being and recognize the energetic attitudes of workers, but his work does
not stop at the office. In the community, Blake and his senior team helped
serve breakfast to students at a local middle school and last year he chaired
the board representing more than 50 research based pharmaceutical companies in
the country, raising awareness surrounding the need for Canadians to have more
access to the best medicines.
    "Philip Blake is a leader who communicates with passion and enthusiasm,"
says Janet Comeau, President, IABC/Toronto. "His skillful communication and
dedication to his employees and the community mirrors precisely what it means
to be a successful and effective communicator. He demonstrates the values and
practices all IABC members work hard to establish in their respective
companies. We are very pleased to honour Philip Blake as the 2008 Communicator
of the Year."
    Blake is the twelfth individual to receive the annual award. Previous
winners have been:-   Annette Verschuren, President of Home Depot Canada (2007)
    -   Mayor Hazel McCallion, City of Mississauga (2006)
    -   Malcolm Heins of Law Society of Upper Canada (2005)
    -   D. Wayne Fyffe of Credit Valley Hospital (2004)
    -   Edward Marra of Nestlé Canada (2003)
    -   David Booth of Compaq Canada Corp. (2002)
    -   Paul Tsaparis of Hewlett-Packard Canada (2001)
    -   Marguerite Jackson of the Toronto District School Board (2000)
    -   Rudy Riedl of Enbridge Consumers Gas (1999)
    -   Jeff Lozon of St. Michael's Hospital (1998)
    -   Paul Lucas of Glaxo Wellcome Inc. (1997)About IABC/Toronto
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    IABC/Toronto is the largest IABC chapter in the world. The organization's
programs and member services provide the chapter's 1,500 members with a
network in which they can focus on business issues that affect the daily lives
of communicators, such as changes in technology, internal and external
communications trends and media relations challenges. Website:
http://toronto.iabc.com.

For further information: Mark Nusca, Director, Marketing Communications,
IABC/Toronto, [phone], Email: [e-mail]; OR Emily
Hanft, Business Communications Specialist, Bayer Inc., Phone: [phone],
Fax: [phone], Email: [e-mail]