WOMEN PROVE THEY CAN DELIVER
Female managers at Couriers Please are leading the way in logistics.
Women in leadership roles are making a mark at the Couriers Please (CP) business, comprising 38 per cent of the senior management team. A year ago CP grew its female managers by 6 per cent, and by 9 per cent during its latest fiscal year.
“It surprised me,” says COO Hoy Yen Hooper. “I’ve been here only three months. It’s very unusual in this industry.”
Hooper credits the change in the company, now owned by Singapore Post, to CEO Mark McGinley. She joined CFO Paula Sabbouh, the first female in that position at CP. And with national sales manager Sharon King, the sales team has partnered with major clients including Kmart, Sephora and The Iconic.
Women are ruling the roost in analysis, project management and customer service. One of these high fliers is Kirsty Truffley, acting head of customer experience, who has transformed the structure and working practices of the customer service team.
“She came in, looked at the numbers and key performance indicators, and restructured the team. Her priorities were to be a team coach, to raise standards,” says Hooper.
Human resources manager Daisy Jacobs started her department from scratch, and other women in management roles include national marketing manager Lissa Becker, national sales manager Wendy Bass and legal counsel Clare Matthews.
Couriers Please surprises
as it increases the number of females in its
leadership roles.
STRONG ENVIRONMENT
The benefit of having a tranche of women leaders is that they can consult and work together as a management team, which encourages empowerment and creates a strong environment that is welcoming for women, says Hooper. “It makes it feel more comfortable and a psychologically safe environment.”
She believes that having females at a high level breaks down gender barriers and drives change and transformation “because it is all about the skill base and passion”.
Not only are women heading key departments at CP, they are also helping drive parcel deliveries. Queensland and Victoria have the highest number of female delivery drivers and franchisees, at 22 and 13 respectively.
“It’s a pretty tough job. You’re working for 10 hours and there’s heavy freight. It could be more appealing to men, but females can do it as well,” says Hooper.
She knows the business well with a background in transport and logistics at DHL.
Running a courier franchise is challenging, she says. The courier network is vitally important, and the goal is to build on the relationships between couriers and the franchise support team.
COMPLETE SHIFT
With e-commerce there has been a complete shift from working in a business-to-business environment to embracing the business-to-consumer model.
“I want to build a franchise experience program and make sure we attract quality people to the network, and invest enough in technology to drive efficiency. The whole B2C process puts a lot of pressure in the network.”
Hooper is confident the company is well positioned to handle the e-commerce revolution.
National commercial manager Hayat Horma rolled out a myriad of innovations in the e-commerce space during her time at CP, including its flexible delivery choices.
“We’ll be driving that for the next 24 months,” says Hooper.
“It’s great to be part of an organisation that provides opportunities for women. It’s not about gender, it’s about skills. I’m here because I can add value.
“The logistics sector is changing, a shift we not only see at CP, but in other businesses in this sector, with Australia Post appointing its first female to the top spot. As online shopping increases and there are more parcels in the network, we look forward to seeing a further increase in the number of female franchisees we have on the ground.”
It’s not about gender, it’s
about skills. I’m here because I can add value.