Bios. Elizabeth T. Hirsch Director, Investor Relations Praxair, Inc. Dennis H. Reilley Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Praxair, Inc.

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1 Elizabeth T. Hirsch Director, Investor Relations Elizabeth Hirsch rejoined Praxair in February 2002 as director of Investor Relations. In the mid-1990s she had served as director of corporate finance and then as assistant treasurer. Hirsch has an extensive financial background, including 15 years of corporate banking experience, spent primarily at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company where she held a number of positions in corporate finance and relationship management. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Smith College and a master s degree in business administration in finance from New York University. Dennis H. Reilley Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Dennis Reilley has been chairman and chief executive officer of Praxair since Prior to joining Praxair, Reilley was executive vice president and chief operating officer of DuPont. He held numerous positions at DuPont and its former energy subsidiary, Conoco. Reilley joined Conoco in 1974 and served in a variety of positions in both upstream and downstream organizations. In 1989, he transferred to DuPont. From 1990 to 1994, he served as vice president and general manager of the titanium dioxide business. Between 1994 and 1995, he held the position of vice president and general manager of the specialty chemicals business. In 1996, he was named vice president and general manager of the Lycra business. Reilley was named an executive vice president in 1997 and chief operating officer in A native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Reilley received a bachelor of science degree in finance from Oklahoma State University. He also is a graduate of Harvard Business School s Program for Management Development. He is a member of the boards of H.J. Heinz Company, the Marathon Oil Company and the Conservation Fund. He is a former chairman of the American Chemistry Council.

2 Dan Yankowski Vice President Global Supply Systems Dan Yankowski was named vice president, Global Supply Systems, in He is responsible for the design, construction and supply of plants and systems that produce atmospheric and process gases to Praxair regional businesses worldwide, and for sale of equipment to third parties. Yankowski began his career with the company as a plant engineer in Following assignments in production and customer service, he was named plant manager in Alabama in Two years later, he became on-site business/sales manager in Houston, Texas, and, in 1995, was named project business manager in the Equipment and Engineering Services group in Tonawanda, New York. He transferred to Rio de Janeiro as executive director, engineering, in 1996, and assumed the position of vice president, global process gases, back in Tonawanda in Following an assignment as global vice president, Chemicals and Refining, he was named vice president, South Region, for North American Industrial Gases in Yankowski holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Pennsylvania State University. Steven L. Lerner Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer Steve Lerner was named senior vice president and chief technology officer of Praxair in Lerner joined Praxair in 1989 as manager of process chemistry in Applications Research & Development. He was appointed associate director, process & systems in 1992, and director, in In 2000, he became vice president, process & systems. Lerner earned a bachelor s degree in mechanical engineering from The Cooper Union, New York, and received a doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University. While at Princeton, he was the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship. He is also a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program. Lerner is a member of the board of the Industrial Research Institute and is on the industrial advisory board of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He also is a member and past chairman of the dean s advisory council of the State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Engineering and Science, and serves on the advisory board of the Institute of Materials Science of the University of Connecticut. Between 1969 and 1999, he was a member of the China Economic and Technology Alliance. Lerner holds 10 patents and has published articles in numerous scientific publications.

3 Robert S. Vruggink President, Praxair Surface Technologies Bob Vruggink was named president of Praxair's subsidiary, Praxair Surface Technologies, in He is responsible for Praxair's global, $400-million high-performance surface-coatings business, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Vruggink joined Praxair in 2001 as area director for industrial gases in the U.S. southern region. Prior to joining Praxair, Vruggink had served in a wide variety of engineering and management assignments for Conoco and DuPont, beginning in A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Vruggink holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Raymond P. Roberge President Praxair Electronics Ray Roberge was named president, Praxair Electronics, in He has global responsibility for products, services and technologies supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing industry worldwide. Roberge joined Praxair in 1973 in research and development and subsequently held positions in applications technology, business management, marketing and Accelerated Quality Implementation. In 1996, he became director of business development for advanced air separation, and added ceramic membrane development to his portfolio two years later. He moved to Global Supply Systems in 1998 as director of product line development. He became vice president of Praxair/MRC in 1999, and in 2002 was named vice president, Sales and Business Development, for Praxair Electronics. Roberge holds a bachelor s degree in chemical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a master s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.

4 Stephen F. Angel President & Chief Operating Officer Steve Angel was appointed president and chief operating officer in From 2001 to 2006, he was executive vice president of Praxair, responsible for Praxair's businesses in North America, Europe and Asia, as well as for Healthcare, Metals Technologies, Hydrogen and Applications Market Development. Prior to joining Praxair in 2001, Angel was general manager of General Electric s $2-billion Industrial Systems business, directing eight business units and six joint ventures in four countries. Angel joined GE's Electrical Distribution and Control (ED&C) business in 1979 and after a series of promotions in sales and marketing became general manager of the switchgear business in In 1995 he was promoted to general manager of marketing for ED&C and in 1996 became general manager, marketing and sales, for the Transportation Systems business in Erie, Penn. Angel was appointed to the Industrial Systems position in A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Angel received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from North Carolina State University and a master s degree in business administration from Loyola College in Baltimore. David H. Chow President, Praxair China David Chow was named president of Praxair China in Based in Shanghai, he is responsible for overall business leadership, profitability and continued growth of Praxair China and associated joint venture companies. Chow joined Praxair Canada in 1987 as region engineer in the applications technology group. He subsequently held positions as product manager, marketing manager and on-site business manager for Western Canada. He was appointed director of product management for Praxair Asia in 1997, based in Singapore. In 2000, he gained additional responsibilities as director of marketing for Praxair Asia. He transferred to the U.S. in 2002 as area director with the North American Industrial Gases business unit in He holds bachelor s and master s degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto.

5 John M. Panikar Managing Director, Praxair India John Panikar was appointed managing director of Praxair India in January Based in Bangalore, India, Panikar is responsible for the full range of Praxair s business in India, carried out at 35 locations across the country. Panikar, a native of Mumbai, India, joined Praxair in 1991 and held a variety of assignments in operations and project management in Praxair's electronics business before being appointed Asia business manager for electronics in He was appointed director of business development for Praxair Asia in 2002, with additional responsibility for managing the helium, specialty gases, medical gases and carbon dioxide growth markets for Praxair India. He holds a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester. Randy S. Kramer President, Praxair Europe Randy Kramer was named president, Praxair Europe, in He is responsible for Praxair's $1-billion business in seven countries throughout Western Europe, as well as jointventure businesses in Eastern Europe, Turkey and Israel. Kramer joined the company in 1979 and held positions in procurement, materials management, business management, sales and sales management before being named director, global account management, in In 1997 he became director, Global Procurement, and led a major procurement reengineering initiative. He was appointed vice president, global carbon dioxide product and services, in 1999 and also was responsible for food and beverage marketing and sales in the U.S. He rejoined the Procurement organization as vice president in 2000 and was appointed senior vice president, Sales, in Kramer graduated from Cleveland State University with a bachelor of arts degree.

6 Domingos H.G. Bulus President, Praxair South America President, White Martins Gases Industriais Ltda. Domingos Bulus was named president of Praxair South America, Praxair's second-largest market, in Bulus joined Praxair s Brazil-based subsidiary, White Martins, in 1984 as a production engineer, and subsequently held supervisory and managerial positions in the industrial gases applications group. In 1990 he was named manager of the Belo Horizonte region in Brazil, and two years later became manager of the Brazilian central region. In 1995 he became general manager in Colombia, and the following year was named executive director of the Andean Treaty region (Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela). He moved to Singapore as president of Praxair Asia in A native of Brazil, Bulus earned a mechanical engineering degree from Gama Filho University, Rio de Janeiro, and a master s degree in human resources from Amana Key, Sao Paulo. Ricardo S. Malfitano Executive Vice President Ricardo Malfitano was appointed executive vice president of Praxair in He is responsible for Praxair s businesses in South America and Mexico, as well as for Praxair Electronics, Praxair Surface Technologies, Operational Excellence and Supply Systems, Procurement and Materials Management, and Safety and Environmental Services. Malfitano joined White Martins, Praxair s Brazil-based subsidiary, in 1978 and held a variety of positions before being named division manager, Medical Gases, in 1989 and then general manager, Industrial Gases, in He transferred to Praxair s headquarters in the U.S. in 1993 to lead a reengineering effort aimed at improving Praxair's sales and marketing effectiveness. In 1994 he was named director of the global Semiconductor Materials business. Two years later he returned to Brazil as executive director, Industrial Gases. He moved back to the U.S. in 1998 as president, North American Industrial Gases, Praxair s largest business unit. In 2001 Malfitano was appointed chief executive officer of White Martins, and president, Praxair South America. He became senior vice president of in A native of Rio de Janeiro, Malfitano earned a degree in metallurgical engineering from Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro.

7 Eduardo Menezes Managing Director Praxair Mexico Eduardo Menezes was appointed managing director of Praxair Mexico in He is responsible for the growth, profitability and return on capital of Praxair s business in Mexico. Menezes joined the company in 1986 as an equipment engineer at S.A. White Martins, a Praxair subsidiary based in Brazil. After holding positions in the on-site business group, he was named marketing manager for process gases systems in Two years later, he became national marketing and sales manager for the chemical and refining industries. In 1995 he transferred to Tonawanda, New York, as worldwide business manager for gasification and worldwide plant sales in Praxair s Global Supply Systems organization. In 1998 he was appointed president, Praxair Puerto Rico, and in 2000 he became vice president, U.S. West Region, for North American Industrial Gases. In 2003, he was named vice president and general manager-u.s. for Praxair Distribution, Inc., a cylindergases subsidiary. A native of Brazil, Menezes holds a chemical engineering degree from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and a master s degree in business administration from the State University of New York. Wayne J. Yakich President Praxair Distribution, Inc. Wayne Yakich became president of Praxair Distribution, Inc. in Praxair Distribution manages Praxair s packaged-gases business in the U.S. and Canada. Yakich joined the company in Canada in 1982 as controller for a packagedgases subsidiary. Following subsequent assignments as business analyst and manager of information systems at Canadian headquarters, he was named worldwide controller for another subsidiary, Praxair Surface Technologies, in In 1994, he became controller for the U.S. industrial gases business and shortly thereafter was named director, financial services, for the North American Industrial Gases business unit. He served as director of the CBI Merger/Integration Project Office before being named regional sales director for U.S. merchant gases in mid The following year he became director of Praxair s global reengineering organization and joined Praxair Distribution in 1998 as vice president, Business Operations. A native of Canada, Yakich holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Western Ontario and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Windsor. He is a Canadian Chartered Accountant.

8 George P. Ristevski Vice President, Healthcare, and President, Praxair Healthcare Services George Ristevski was named vice president, Healthcare, and president, Praxair Healthcare Services, in Ristevski joined Praxair in 1995 as director, corporate financial planning and analysis, responsible for evaluation of the performance of worldwide business units, project-based support, and financial analysis. In 1997 he transferred as finance director to Praxair Distribution, a subsidiary that manages Praxair s packaged gases business in the United States and Canada. He became vice president and controller for Praxair in Before joining Praxair, Ristevski had worked at Electronic Data Systems and previously he held a series of planning, finance and business-management positions with the BOC Group. He has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Brown University and a master s degree in business administration from Northwestern University. James J. Fuchs President, North American Industrial Gases Jim Fuchs was appointed president of Praxair s North American Industrial Gases, Praxair's largest business unit, and president of Praxair Canada in Fuchs joined the company in 1974 as technical sales representative in Toronto, Canada. He became a product manager in 1977 before being named area sales manager in Following assignments as business manager for oil field services; region manager, Western Canada; and general sales manager, he was appointed business manager for industrial gases in He became general manager, On-Site Business, in 1994 for the U.S. and was named managing director, Industrial Gases, Canada in He moved to Asia in 1996 as vice president, Praxair Asia, and was appointed president, Praxair Asia, in A native of Regina, Canada, Fuchs earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan.

9 Joseph F. Shine III Director, Energy Services North American Industrial Gases Joe Shine was named director of Energy Services in He is responsible for enhanced oil recovery, carbon dioxide capture, oil field services and fuel cell projects. Shine joined Praxair in 1990 as a region engineer in Birmingham, Alabama. He became a technical sales representative for Praxair Services Inc. in 1994, before being named manager of the Pittsburg, Calif., location in In 1999, he became an account manager for merchant and on-site gases in the western region of the U.S. In 2003, he took a business development position within Praxair s oil field services group. A native of Beaver Dams, New York, Shine earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester and a master s degree in business administration from California State University. Mark F. Gruninger Vice President, South Region North American Industrial Gases Praxair Inc. Mark Gruninger was named vice president, South Region, for Praxair s largest business unit, North American Industrial Gases, in He is responsible for the growth, profitability and return on capital of Praxair s business in the seven-state region which includes the company s largest pipeline complex, along the Texas Gulf Coast. Gruninger joined Praxair Surface Technologies in 1987 as a senior project engineer and subsequently led engineering and technology programs in advanced materials. He became associate director, Technology, in 1993, assuming additional responsibility for thermal spray coatings and other surface-enhancement applications. In 1995, Gruninger was named business manager, polishing products, with global responsibility for marketing, sales, customer service and product development. In 1997, he became general manager, Specialty Products, and was named vice president, Specialty Products, in Two years later he became vice president of Praxair Electronics, with global responsibility for products and services supplied to the semiconductor industry. A native of Martinsville, New Jersey, Gruninger earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in ceramic engineering from Rutgers University. He also holds a master's of science degree in management from Purdue University.

10 Charles D. McConnell Vice President, Gasification & HYCO Business Development Chuck McConnell was appointed vice president, gasification and HYCO (hydrogen/carbon monoxide) business development, in He leads Praxair s global gasification business development efforts and supports regional HYCO business development. McConnell joined Praxair in 1977 in plant production engineering, and held positions as plant manager and regional on-site and pipeline sales manager before being appointed business manager for Praxair Hydrogen Supply Inc., a joint venture between Praxair and Texaco, Inc., in He moved to Singapore in 1995 and served as business development director and group marketing director for Praxair Asia, and as managing director of Praxair Malaysia. He returned to the U.S. in 1998 as general manager for total supply and service, and joined the Chemicals and Refining Business as director, gasification, in In 2000, he was named vice president and general manager, gasification, A native of Steubenville, Ohio, McConnell holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University and a master's degree in business administration from Cleveland State University. James S. Sawyer Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Jim Sawyer was appointed chief financial officer for Praxair in He is responsible for the company s finance, audit, treasury, accounting, tax, information technology and investor relations functions. Sawyer joined the company in 1985 and served in a number of senior financial positions in the U.S. and Europe. In 1992 he became assistant treasurer or Praxair and was appointed vice president and treasurer in Sawyer holds a bachelor of science degree in geology and environmental sciences from Wesleyan University, and a master's degree in business administration from the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Conference Board s Senior Financial Officer s Council and the Financial Executives Institute.