Air Products' Vice President Honored as One of Pennsylvania's Most Powerful and Influential Women

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) today announced that Laurie Stewart, vice president, Energy and Materials, and General Services and chief procurement officer, has been named one of Pennsylvania's Most Powerful and Influential Women by the Pennsylvania Diversity Council. She received the honor earlier today at a breakfast featuring former Michigan governor Jennifer M. Granholm.

The Most Powerful & Influential Women award recognizes leadership excellence in the public and/or private sectors. Winners exhibit the ability to sustain a record of accomplishments and/or contributions to a field of work throughout the scope of her career; clout within her organization in terms of significant impact on revenues, profitability, and/or direction of the organization; leadership and commitment to community well-being and/or high visibility in the community; and an overall commitment to the highest ethical standards and professional excellence.

"Laurie's business achievements and leadership in Diversity and Inclusion make her an integral part of Air Products leadership team," said Corning Painter, senior vice president and general manager, Merchant Gases. "Laurie has been a mentor, role model and true champion of diversity, helping position Air Products to fully embrace the contributions of all our employees."

Stewart was named vice president, Energy and Materials, and General Services, in March 2009. She is responsible for managing all aspects of global procurement and strategic sourcing efforts, which includes energy, capital, corporate, and raw materials, as well as the Corporate Real Estate and General Services organizations. She assumed the added role of Chief Procurement Officer in October 2012. She also serves on the company's leadership council for Diversity and Inclusion and is a member of the company's Women in Leadership group.

Stewart joined Air Products in 2003 as vice president and treasurer, and in 2006 she was named vice president and controller of Tonnage Gases, Equipment and Energy (TGEE). In 2008 she became vice president of Global Decision Support before assuming her current position. A complete biography of Stewart is available here.

For more on the Pennsylvania Diversity Council please visit: http://padiversitycouncil.org/.

About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) provides atmospheric, process and specialty gases; performance materials; equipment; and technology. For over 70 years, the company has enabled customers to become more productive, energy efficient and sustainable. More than 20,000 employees in over 50 countries supply innovative solutions to the energy, environment and emerging markets. These include semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, coal gasification, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. In fiscal 2012, Air Products had sales approaching $10 billion. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2012.

SOURCE Air Products