Future Ready: Australia Post’s business renewal program

Future Ready is a five year program which represents a transformation of the organisation. The program will lay the foundations to create a more customer-focussed and sustainable Australia Post. “As the world has moved on from the horse and buggy and has shifted from the telegraph to the telephone, Australia Post must embrace the digital world,” said Managing Director and CEO Ahmed Fahour.

“Future Ready will enable Australia Post to do everything it does in the physical world in the digital world.”

Under the program, a strong growth platform will be established that will see letter declines offset by the growth in parcels, retail and business-to-business express delivery. This will be done by building a customer-focused, collaborative culture with strong accountability and transparency.

“The new organisation structure is designed to unlock the depth of talent within Australia Post which will be developed and rewarded for sustainable outcomes,” said Mr Fahour.

Under the Future Ready program, Australia Post will be restructured into four strategic business units with individual profit and loss accountability.

The strategic business units are

• Postal Services;
• Retail Services;
• Express Distribution Services; and
• e-Services.

Postal Services will be responsible for providing both letters and parcels services enabling Australia Post to offset the decline in letters with the growth in parcels. “While the internet is the letter business’ worst enemy it is the parcels business best friend,” said Mr Fahour.

Retail Services will be responsible for everything Australia Post does and offer in 4,433 retail stores. “We are in every major town across Australia and play a vital role at the centre of each community. We want to be the community hub for important trusted services like passports, identity verification, payments and more,” said Mr Fahour.

Express Distribution Services will oversee Australia Post’s courier and logistics business and our joint ventures; Australian Air Express, Star Track Express and Sai Cheng Logistics. It will focus on the business-to-business market with a strong focus on Australia and Asia.

e-Services business will be a dedicated new business incubator focusing on opportunities such as secure, identity-verified, digital communications, e-commerce initiatives and other services that we can offer electronically, to complement our physical network.

“Future Ready will see a new structure put in place and bedded down in 2010/11 and then a shift to a rebuilding and growing phase in 2012 and beyond, said Mr Fahour.