Canada Post has appointed Stewart Bacon as its first chief sales and marketing officer.
The new role is a “statement about the importance of customers and serving customers” and was created to help ensure that customer relations are properly managed, said Bacon.
Canada Post employs approximately 70,000, 90% of which are involved in mail delivery, and “in the minds of many employees, the customer was not front and centre,” said Bacon, who adds that this is a problem Canada Post is attempting to rectify.
Bacon hopes to increase the relevance of “our postal business to both businesses and consumers,” and to make sure “people continue to think that getting mail delivered to you is the best way to get communications.”
Bacon will oversee approximately 1,400 employees in the customer service department, billing and accounts receivable, sales department and call centres in Winnipeg, Ottawa and Fredericton. He will report to Canada Post president and CEO, Moya Greene.
Bacon worked in sales and marketing at IBM and Philips Electronics in Montreal, before joining Canada Post as regional vice-president in 1994.
Last week, VANOC and Canada Post also announced that Canada Post has been named an official supplier for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
More than half a billion stamps and related products will be produced for the Games under the terms of a $3-million supplier agreement the carrier has signed with Olympic organizers. And in celebration of Canada’s participation in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Canada Post is issuing a domestic rate stamp July 18.
Designed by Toronto’s Q30 Design Inc., the stamp features an abstract image of a red-clad athlete, hands above head, carrying a Canadian flag. The stamp is considered permanent, which means they can be used even if the cost of a single stamp rises.
“The stamp image is extremely dramatic,” said Liz Wong, manager of stamp design and production at Canada Post, in a release. “It captures the spirit of competitive sport and the pride of the Olympic tradition.”
Creating the stamp was a real thrill for Q30 designer Karen Henricks. “Every four years, I look forward to watching the Olympic Games to see Canada compete and take pride in our athletes’ accomplishments,” she said. “Combine this experience with the opportunity to design a stamp for Canada Post? Well, I’m pretty much in heaven.”
Design of the Vancouver 2010 stamp will be made in conjunction with Vancouver organizers and will likely feature images of the Olympic mascots and sports imagery.
