NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas, an active member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) since 2014, has nominated Katie Leaman, assistant general counsel, regulatory, and David Cole, senior corporate attorney, litigation, for LCLD's landmark Fellows Program.

The goal of the LCLD Fellows program is to produce a generation of attorneys with strong leadership and relationship skills who are committed to fostering diversity within their organizations and the legal profession at large. Launched in 2011, the year-long program identifies high-potential attorneys from diverse backgrounds and sets them on a path to leadership in their organizations.

"Our Fellows program offers an extraordinarily rich year of relationship-building, in-person training, peer-group projects, and extensive contact with LCLD's top leadership," said LCLD President Robert J. Grey, Jr.

Astellas has actively explored ways to continue cultivating diversity in all aspects of its business. The LCLD Fellows program has enabled Astellas' legal department to be on the forefront of the company's diversity efforts.

"We have made a concerted effort as a company and as a department to be a leader in fostering diversity," said Catherine Wertjes, vice president, legal. "Working with the LCLD, our legal staff has become ambassadors for diversity and inclusion at Astellas and among the community."

Astellas' current members of the LCLD Fellows program are Ellen M. Papadakis, assistant general counsel, litigation, and Morgan Moran, senior corporate attorney, commercial transactions. Allyson Behm, senior corporate attorney, regulatory, served as the company's first LCLD Fellow.

About the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity
Founded in 2009, LCLD is a growing organization of more than 240 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners who are personally committed to creating a truly diverse legal profession. The LCLD Fellows program, which has trained more than 800 mid-career attorneys since 2011, is one of LCLD's most important initiatives. For information, visit www.lcldnet.org.

About Astellas
Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.us. You can also follow us on Twitter at @AstellasUS, Facebook at www.facebook.com/AstellasUS or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/astellas-pharma.

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SOURCE Astellas