Canada Post restructured into physical and digital divisions

Canada Post has restructured its top-level management to create two distinct business units – one for physical mail delivery and the other for digital mail delivery. The move sets up the company to gun for growth in digital communications, but also the booming e-commerce parcels market.

Directly under president and chief executive Deepak Chopra, the company now has two group presidents taking responsibility for the two priority areas – Jacques Côté as group president for the physical delivery network, and Kerry Munro as group president of the digital delivery network.

Côté was officially appointed to the new position in July, but is already well known at Canada Post as its chief operating officer since 2005.

Jacques Côté (left) is Canada Post’s new group president – physical delivery network; Kerry Munro is the new group president – digital delivery network

He is now tasked with revitalising Canada Post’s core mailing business, as well as gaining market share in the fast-growing e-commerce parcel business.

Côté, who joined Canada Post back in 1993 as a operations support and finance corporate manager, is now focused on returning Canada Post operations to normality and rebuilding consumer confidence in postal services after the summer’s strike action and national lockout.

Munro is new to Canada Post, appointed this month to create and manage a digital strategy and network for Canada Post. He has 20 years of experience in the technology and digital media sector, most recently as COO at social media marketing firm Syncapse Corp, but from 2005 to 2009 he was managing director at Yahoo! Canada, building the company into Canada’s largest digital media firm.

In his new job, Munro will be growing Canada Post’s digital mail service, epost, as well as its internet marketing activities that include the Comparison Shopper retail website and the CentrSource online direct marketing platform.

Priorities

In making the changes to Canada Post’s operating structure, Chopra told employees at Canada Post that the Corporation must address two distinct priorities to grow its business and secure the future of the company.

The first priority, he said, was to become highly competitive in mail and package delivery services that can connect Canadians with e-commerce.

The second priority was to play a “meaningful role” in the digital lives of Canadians “as they continue to migrate to electronic means of communication”.

Canada Post told Post&Parcel today that in particular, having a focused digital delivery network would mean the Corporation would be able to devote “a lot of attention” to that side of the business.

“We have e-post, which we’ve had for about 10 years and we are developing the next version of e-post and looking at how it serves Canadians,” said spokesperson Anick Losier.

“What we have seen is that Canadians are changing the way they are using their mail system – in terms of bill payments and even the transaction of important documents. Canada Post has the network on the physical side of things, but also wants to be the one to deliver on the digital side of things as well.”

Canada Post was built on the need to provide “reliable, secure and affordable” services to Canadians, she added, and the Physical and Digital Delivery Networks will help the Corporation “better meet the evolving needs of Canadians, while securing the future of the company”.