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Blackmores' chief trades vitamins for a postal role
Blackmores chief executive Christine Holgate wore an elegant black pants suit with black boots and a long-sleeved white blouse to a news conference called yesterday to announce her appointment as CEO of Australia Post.
Wearing the Collingwood colours was Holgate's personal statement on her commitment to the AFL team, having been invited to join the board by president Eddie McGuire last year despite being a Englishwoman living in Sydney.
"I love that club," Holgate said of Collingwood to reporters gathering around her after the formal press conference with Australia Post chairman John Stanhope. "I love their passion and their one-eyed determination. Their fans are so loyal and driven." Already one of the leading women in corporate Australia, Holgate brings to the job of Australia Post chief executive a unique combination of experience running a successful ASX-listed company that has expanded aggressively into Asia and a down-to-earth approach to leadership.
Pointing out that she will be the first woman to run Australia Post in its 208-year history is almost an irrelevance given Holgate's skills and corporate track record.
Yes, she lacks the experience of running a large organisation like Australia Post. Having to deal with the Australia Post unions -- the Communications Workers Union, the Community and Public Sector Union and the Transport Workers Union -- may be her greatest...