For Annemarie Gardshol, president and group CEO of PostNord Group, being a woman within the postal sector has never been a challenge.
“If it would have been a challenge, I would not have stayed with the company for very long,” she says. “At PostNord, I have had the fortune to work with peers and superiors that have provided me with a lot of support and trust. I think that is key for anyone who wants to succeed in their career or at work in general.”
Gardshol took up the top position at PostNord Group on November 1, 2019. She first joined PostNord in 2012 and has held a number of senior executive positions within the company, including CEO of PostNord Strålfors Group and chief strategy officer. Before starting as group CEO, she was CEO of PostNord Sweden.
“At PostNord we see diversity as a key foundation for getting access to a broader talent pool,” she continues. “The company has consciously worked to attract more women to leading positions and we strive to have a gender balance of 40/60 at our top positions. Currently we have 33% women in leading positions.”
According to Gardshol, the success of a business isn’t just about having the right gender parity, however. “I believe that for any company to be successful you need to tap into the full talent pool,” she explains. “This is not only a gender issue, but also about building an organization based on humans with different backgrounds, experience, culture, and more. It is the mix of all that, which will determine the success of your business. If you don’t tap into the full talent pool, one thing is sure, you will not be the winner over time.”
Tapping into the full talent pool can help postal operators to address the two greatest challenges faced by the sector currently – declining mail volumes and the growing e-commerce sector. “The most important lesson I have learnt throughout my career is realizing how much power and knowledge there can be within an organization. Once you find the key to release all that, magic happens,” she concludes.