Sustainable means equal: Women in postal leadership

UPU’s celebration of International Women’s Day 2022 “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”

Voice Mail Exchanges

8 March 2022, 2 pm – 3.30 pm CET, Online

With rising concerns about the pace of climate change on the one hand, and the unprecedented growth of e-commerce mounting pressure on supply chains on the other, businesses around the world are rushing to respond to both challenges by adopting dedicated “green” strategies. The postal sector is no exception. From sophisticated sustainability frameworks designed by bigger postal operators to electrification and waste management pledges made by smaller ones – it seems that climate action within the sector is no longer an option, it is a necessity. At the helm of this necessary action, more often than not, are women.

While there has been progress in achieving workforce equality in the postal and logistics industry, these positions continue to be widely viewed as traditionally male, depriving the sector of the talents and creativity of potential women staff and managers. According to the Women in Supply Chain Survey 2021 by Gartner and AWESOME, women comprised 41% of the supply chain workforce in North America and only 15% of executive level roles, compared to 29% in senior management across all industries (Catalyst, 2020).

With these imbalances unaddressed, it is unlikely that the postal sector’s strides towards championing greener business models will be as successful as they would with a gender inclusive approach. Just as gender equality forms an integral part of the global sustainable development agenda, it can serve as a powerful accelerator behind the postal sustainability.

Against this backdrop and in support of the International Women’s Day’s 2022 theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, the Universal Postal Union asked women who are leading sustainable transformations in the Post and beyond:

• Why is gender equality important to achieve sustainable development, especially within the postal sector?
• What are the current trends and situation when it comes to the women’s involvement in the postal and logistics sector, both in terms of numbers and levels?
• What should be done to advance women’s leadership in the Post and, thus, the sector’s sustainability efforts?

Line-up:

• Susan Alexander, Postal Regulation and UN Policies Programme Manager, Universal Postal Union
• Kristin Bergum, Senior Vice President, International and Regulatory Affairs, Posten Norge AS
• ​Jennifer Beiro-Réveillé, Senior Director, Environmental Affairs and Corporate Sustainability, USPS
• Pierangela Sierra, Co-Founder & CEO of Tipti, UNCTAD eTrade for Women Advocate for Latin America (Ecuador

The online discussion was moderated by Ian Kerr, Voice Mail podcast​ host

Full event recording

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More on the UPU’s work on gender equality.
Previous Voice Mail Exchanges event on the circular economy and the postal sector.