Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley honored Astellas Pharma US, Inc. and two other Chicagoland companies on Aug. 14 at a ceremony in downtown Chicago with an award for their exemplary learning and development practices. The award and the event are sponsored each year by WorkforceChicago, which recognizes Chicagoland companies with exceptional learning and development programs.

"Learning is the oxygen that breathes life into every successful organization," said Seigo Kashii, president and CEO at Astellas, in his acceptance speech. "Developing a learning company is not a luxury, it's a necessity in today's marketplace. We take a great deal of pride in the learning culture we have developed at Astellas."

WorkforceChicago uses nine exemplary practices in employee learning and development, developed by its parent organization, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, to assess the degree to which companies are creating and fostering an environment of education and training within their own workplace.

"Look at any successful person and you'll find that he or she has a passion for learning," said Collette Taylor, senior vice president of human resources and corporate communications at Astellas. "For the sake of our patients, we want our employees, our organization and our products to be successful. A robust learning and development program is our down payment on achieving that end."

The common theme of the council's nine exemplary practices is that employee learning is embedded in the organization's culture and operations and sustained through a process of re-evaluation and continuous improvement.

Astellas was also honored by the National Association for Business Resources in a ceremony on Aug. 10 in Oak Brook, Ill., as a recipient of its Elite Chicago's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in 2009 award. Winning companies were selected based on their performance in the areas of communication, community initiatives, compensation and benefits, diversity and multiculturalism, employee education and development, employee engagement and commitment, recognition and retention, recruitment and selection and work-life balance.

About Astellas

Astellas Pharma US, Inc., located in Deerfield, Illinois, is a U.S. affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. The organization is committed to becoming a global category leader in focused areas by combining outstanding R&D and marketing capabilities. In the US, Astellas markets products in the areas of Immunology, Urology, Anti-Infectives, Cardiovascular and Dermatology. For more information about Astellas Pharma US, Inc., please visit our website at www.us.astellas.com.