Asendia reveals team to lead UK business

Asendia has appointed La Poste UK managing director Frederic Petton as its chief executive officer in the UK. The company – formed this summer as a merger of La Poste and Swiss Post’s international mail operations – said Petton would lead a new nine-member management board at Asendia UK, combining executives from former Swiss Post and La Poste subsidiaries BTB Mailflight, La Poste UK and Swiss Post International (UK).

Petton (pictured right), who has been La Poste UK managing director since 2006, first joined La Poste a decade earlier.

During his time with the company, he opened La Poste’s sales office in the United States and built business development teams for the French mail company in both the US and UK.

Petton’s new management team includes Paul Taylor, previously SPI UK CEO, as deputy CEO and chief financial officer. The BTB Mailflight CEO Ian Kavanagh becomes Asendia UK’s deputy CEO and director – value-added services.

Asendia UK’s new commercial director is Mick O’Dell, Lloyd Webber will direct marketing and sales, Nick Frazier directs the wholesale business and Rebecca Owen is appointed director – value-added services.

Completing the line-up is Rolf Fleig as operations director – transport and distribution, and Clare Wheeler as human resources director.

Commenting on the new Asendia UK team, Petton said: “The board’s competence and mix of skills emphasises our ambition to respond to what our customers need both now, and in the future, as their markets evolve – setting the standard for business-to-consumer global mail.”

B2C focus

Aiming to focus particularly on business-to-consumer mail, including packets up to 2kg in weight, Asendia is currently in the process of integrating the international mail networks of La Poste and Swiss Post.

A new service portfolio is set to be launched early in 2013 once integration is sufficiently complete.

As part of the wider La Poste and Swiss Post groups, Asendia will align with other group subsidiaries including parcel firms DPD and Interlink Express in the UK.

Asendia is looking to become a delivery provider of choice for cross-border direct mail and ecommerce delivery, as well as offering new services for publishers.

It will provide a range of products and services across the value chain, it said, developing upstream and downstream services.

Asendia said it is prepared to grow through both acquisitions and partnerships to provide customers end-to-end service.

“By working together, our customers will profit from the same quality, innovation and flexibility they are used to, but will also benefit from the shared knowledge and practical expertise of two global mail experts,” said Petton.

“Asendia is about efficiency – ensuring our customers can do things better and faster using the latest solutions and most effective networks.”

• See also: “A Vision for Global Mail” – Asendia’s global CEO Marc Pontet outlines his ambitions for the new company.