UK TNT Mail appoints operations director and head of sales

TNT Mail, one of the challengers to Royal Mail, has appointed an operations director from its Dutch arm and a new head of sales from Express Dairies.

Theo Hoenders will be responsible for developing TNT Mail’s ongoing operational strategy including its UK downstream access and end-to-end delivery capability, as postal operators prepare for the deregulation of the market in January 2006.

His experience includes managing Europe’s largest sorting centre in Amsterdam, which has 1,300 staff. He has been given a seat on the board, joining chief executive Nick Wells and development director David Higham.

Hoenders said: “This is an exciting time to be working in the UK postal market and I look forward to building TNT Mail’s operational capacity in the UK, not just through our relationship with Royal Mail but through our own end-to-end delivery service.”

Joining the company as head of sales is Andy Goddard, who has previously worked at Royal Mail and Express Dairies.

Goddard spent 20 years at Royal Mail, rising to become head of sector for home shopping and then client director for the Amazon account. He joined Express Dairies as head of sales for home delivery in late 2002.

Since it began operations in August 2004, TNT Mail has developed three products for customers: TNT Mail Premier — a two-day business service with “final mile” delivery by Royal Mail, for example bills, statements and time-sensitive mail; TNT Mail PremierSort — the collection and processing of unsorted mail before “final mile” delivery by Royal Mail; and TNT Mail End to End — a delivery service to defined geographic areas for heavier weighted, non-time sensitive items using its partner Express Dairies’ delivery network, which can reach 6m households.

TNT Mail is a part of TPG Group, which grew out of the national postal service of the Netherlands and now operates in 62 countries.