Woolworths supply chain chief and Healthy Heads chair replaces Holgate at helm
Paul Graham is announced as Christine Holgate’s successor as the CEO and managing director of Australia Post.
Graham, who heads Primary Connect as the chief supply chain officer at Woolworths Group, will start in the role in September.
His remuneration is set at $1,456,560 with the potential to earn the same amount in incentives, in accordance with the parameters set by the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal.
Holgate’s pre-incentive wage was $1.375 million when starting her role in 2017.
Graham joins Australia Post after an extensive career working in eCommerce, and supply chain as well as global experience in digital marketing and retail.
Before his Woolworths tenure, Graham was at DHL Supply Chain for two decades, with stints as global COO and CEO for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Graham is current chair of transport and logistics mental health foundation Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds (HHTS).
He was awarded the Public Service Medal by the government of Singapore for services to the logistics industry in 2014.
Australia Post chair Lucio Di Bartolomeo says Australia Post undertook a thorough global search before choosing Graham to lead the business through the next phase of its transformation program.
“On behalf of the board, I am so pleased to announce Paul as the next CEO of Australia Post – an outstanding candidate with strong logistics, digital and retail experience both here and overseas, including as a senior executive at Deutsche Post DHL,” Di Bartolomeo says.
“Paul has a demonstrated track-record of delivering results in large, complex organisations and is a proven leader managing large teams.
“The Board was impressed by Paul’s 40 years’ of deep industry experience working in supply chain in Australia, Europe and Asia. We are also confident Paul’s community and customer philosophy is a perfect fit for Australia Post.”
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Graham says he was proud to be appointed as CEO and looked forward to getting started in the role later this year.
“Australia Post has proven itself to be one of the most resilient and successful postal businesses anywhere in the world.
“I feel fortunate to be joining at a time when we can truly capitalize on the extraordinary growth in eCommerce experienced in the past year and continue developing our retail and digital offerings while keeping letter deliveries strong.”
“I am most looking forward to meeting the team across the country – the posties, Post Office workers, mail processors and delivery drivers that kept our country operating during Covid-19.
“I am also looking forward to getting out into regional Australia where Australia Post has an enormous presence, as well as meeting with the thousands of Post Office licensee partners who play a critical role every day serving the country.
“I have been so privileged to run Woolworths’s supply chain for the past five years and it has shown me how important it is to keep our customers at the centre of everything we do – without our customers we don’t have a business.”
The Australia Post board confirmed that Rodney Boys will continue to lead the business through the CEO transition period until Graham starts in September.