Change is inevitable as postal operators worldwide seek to stay afloat in the face of increasing digitisation. Although this technological shift and changing consumer demands have drastically reduced mail volumes, new windows of opportunity are opening up as operators reinvent and repackage themselves to cope with the steep decline in their market share.

One of the key global leaders driving innovation and sustainability strategies at the helm of the world’s top postal body is a Kenyan communications expert and veteran journalist Mutua Muthusi.

This consummate professional with solid experience spanning over 30 years in journalism and public relations is today the Director of Development and Cooperation at the Universal Postal Union (UPU) based in Bern, Switzerland.

Mr Muthusi boasts a string of key leadership roles, including a stint many years back as the Production Editor at the Kenya Times, in Nairobi, Assistant Manager, Public Relations, at the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation, and Director of Communications and Public Affairs at the Communications Commission of Kenya before taking up the UPU role.

He spoke to C-Suite Style in an interview, explaining how the postal industry is adapting to emerging trends, his long-term vision for the operators and workers, and his experience at the specialised United Nations agency.

C-Suite Style: Can you, please, tell us a little bit about UPU?

Mutua Muthusi: The UPU is a specialised agency of the United Nations charged with the responsibility of ensuring the sustainability of postal services worldwide. In simple terms, it is through the UPU’s coordination that we have a single global postal network.

This means that if you post an item at any postal outlet in any part of the world, its movement is regulated and guaranteed until its final destination. To achieve this, the UPU enacts treaties that all postal administrations must adhere to to provide a seamless transmission process of items across the world. The treaties include adopting operational standards within the huge global supply chain. This makes your mail be transmitted to any part of the world regardless of where you post it.

What was your career path leading to your becoming a director at UPU, and how does the organisation work?

Mutua Muthusi: I started my career as a journalist within the Kenyan media industry, where I worked for newspapers and magazines and had a stint teaching at Daystar University in Nairobi. I then moved into corporate communication and public relations, first at the now-defunct Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation, then at the Communications Authority of Kenya.

In both these institutions, I was involved in communication, public and international relations. At the communications authority, I was the director in charge of these dockets. The authority is designated to represent the country in all regional and international intergovernmental organisations dealing with communication matters. I was in charge of this docket and represented Kenya in these organisations.

These included the UPU, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as similar bodies within the Commonwealth, African Union, Comesa and the East African Community (EAC). In 2015, a job was advertised at the UPU that I felt fitted my profile. I applied for it and after a competitive process, I was selected.

My current duty at the UPU is to assist developing countries in upgrading their postal systems to ensure there is no weak link within the global postal network. Given the expected seamless nature of global postal operations, any weak link undermines the entire network.

We give countries technical assistance, and enable the provision of equipment and capacity-building, among others. I oversee a docket whose activities span across all the six regions of the world, that is, Africa, the Arab world, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe and the Americas.

The postal service is undergoing significant transformation to cope with the technology march. Could you outline some of your plans to drive growth and ensure longevity?

Mutua Muthusi: Indeed, the postal service is undergoing tremendous transformation to align it to market realities and changing customer needs. Many people wrongly equate the posts only with letters and stamps. These are some of the traditional postal services that have been offered for centuries. The post of today is, however, a logistics and delivery network.

This is where technology comes in. Technology enables faster and more efficient provision of services. This is where electronic commerce also comes in. Today, most of the mainstay businesses are in this category. People worldwide are increasingly purchasing provisions online and entrusting delivery systems to get them to their homes or offices.

All these kinds of transactions and deliveries are what constitute the modern post, and, if you like, the post for the future. Therefore, our role at UPU is to ensure that postal organisations can transition into logistics and delivery businesses to participate in this new way of doing business.

To achieve this, we have to come up with new standards that address this transformation, including the adoption of facilitative technology.

What do you think is the biggest strength of the postal service in the marketplace and how does it plan to stay competitive?

Mutua Muthusi: The biggest strength in postal services is the realisation that even with technology and all other modern ways of doing business, the delivery of physical items will never cease. The more versatile the technology gets in enabling online transactions, the more it is creating a bigger market for postal services.

This is because all these online purchases have to be delivered to the buyer. The posts in many countries have a big network that spans the entire country, including remote and marginal locations.

This means the post has a sufficient footprint to deliver in practically every part of the globe. These are unique strengths that make the business sustainable. To be competitive, the post must, however, adapt to new technology so as to best serve the modern customer.

What do you consider to be the main challenges and opportunities for the industry in the next few years?

Mutua Muthusi: The main challenge of the post is the ability to quickly adapt to new ways of doing business. This calls for financial investment as well as the development of skills for the new trends.

Unfortunately, most postal organisations are state-owned and lack flexibility for investment and talent development. One of the goals of the UPU is to sensitise governments and help them to adopt more facilitative policies and regulatory frameworks that would enable the postal institutions to have better latitude in business decision-making.

What do you see as the long-term vision and goals for the business?

Mutua Muthusi: The long-term vision is just to stay on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. Customer tastes are rapidly changing. The trend is for customers to demand service when and where they desire it. Predictability, reliability and trust are key in the delivery business. This is what determines whether the customer will be satisfied and come back. Knowledge of the dynamics of changing customer tastes and demands will make the post not only survive but thrive.

Can you describe your leadership style and how you inspire and motivate your team?

Mutua Muthusi: I listen a lot and pay keen attention to the attributes of each member of my team. Understanding the team makes it easy for me to inspire and motivate them. I also make them feel free to discuss with me anything, including their private lives, if these are affecting their performance.

Being respectful and approachable is a big basis for the motivation of a team. Sound decision-making also endears one to one’s team. This way, you get the team players to believe in your capacity to lead in the right way. To achieve that goal, one has to be patient and careful when making decisions. This may also involve taking calculated risks.

From your perspective, what are the most significant trends currently shaping the industry?

Mutua Muthusi: In technology and innovation, the market is there and expanding, but understanding customer needs and tailoring products and services to address these needs is what is shaping the industry. Most innovations require technology to achieve goals.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced so far in your career?

Mutua Muthusi: A career, just as any other facet of life, has its challenges from time to time. I have worked in the private and public sectors and now in the international environment. Each of these has its unique challenges. The biggest challenges have been whenever I work with people who are not reliable, honest and trustworthy. Sadly, you find these kinds of people everywhere.

Some people believe that for them to rise, someone else must go down. I have on my career path faced a lot of these. In the public sector, my main challenge was dealing with so many people who were unethical and who would always be seeking to cut deals.

These are lethal people, who can create problems for those resisting such a style of work. It is not easy to cope in such environments. But I can safely say that I have seen it all and there is always a way out. Experience in dealing with people of diverse backgrounds has helped me understand the challenges of work environments and how to deal with them.

The international level has its problems, too, some which have to do with the appreciation of other cultures. This is an area that can cause serious challenges if not handled well.

What does your typical workday look like?

Mutua Muthusi: Generally busy. I have objectives set at the beginning of each year and I have to keep tabs on the implementation of tasks to fulfill the objectives. Each of my team members also has objectives I have to monitor. A big part of my docket relates to project management. I have a dashboard that I daily track all the projects being implemented in different parts of the world.

I also have to hold numerous discussions with those responsible for this work. Sometimes it involves problem-solving when things are not going according to plan. Another key aspect of my work is dealing with member countries, postal operators, regulators and governmental people.

Most of these interactions involve receiving and discussing technical assistance proposals for evaluation and possible support. I also talk to many partners who help implement projects as donors or collaborators. Mine is a mixture of deskwork and meetings.

How was it when relocating and settling abroad?

Mutua Muthusi: It was not easy. I have a family of grown-up children and a working spouse and it wasn’t possible to have everyone relocate with me. I had to move alone and family members would from time to time visit me. I also keep visiting Kenya whenever I have the opportunity. I have to create time to visit my parents in the village. All this has not been easy. Of course, the other one was settling down in Switzerland. It’s a country with very different cultures and lifestyles and adapting to this took some time. Even basic things like diet were not easy to get used to.

Tell us about your family, work-life balance and what you do outside your professional life.

Mutua Muthusi: I am married and have three children—two daughters and a son. The eldest is working and recently married. The other two have just completed their studies in the UK. One is back in Nairobi and the other one is in London trying out a few things in his career.

My wife works in Nairobi. So we are scattered in Switzerland, the UK and Kenya. Outside my professional life, I engage in community work, mainly in my village in Kenya. Here in Switzerland, I spend my free time visiting different parts of the country and also touring many other places in Europe.

What are some of the things you are quite passionate about?

Mutua Muthusi: I am passionate about working with the community in the village. Every time I return home I have to identify a community project that I can help to implement. Working with local people is so fulfilling, and the joy is when the results are realised. I also like challenging the community to realise that they can do many things by themselves by coming together.

What do you miss most, being out there in Europe?

Mutua Muthusi: My favourite food and the sound of genuine hearty laughter. Ugali na nyama or samaki fry, stewed, are the delicacies I miss a lot. People in Europe, especially Switzerland, tend to keep to themselves. You can easily get lonely. In Switzerland, noise is frowned on, including music. Sometimes, I even miss noise.

What are your future plans?

Mutua Muthusi: My plan it to retire back home in Kenya, engage in family business and involve myself more in community work.

Have you ever thought about going into politics? Where will that be?

Mutua Muthusi: Going into politics has never been an option in my plans and ambitions. I believe real service to the community can happen at any level without necessarily getting into politics. I like a quiet life that is not achievable in politics.

Are you a sports fan? Football or athletics?

Mutua Muthusi: Indeed. I like sports, mainly football and athletics. Before I left Kenya, I had ventured into small-time sports administration and helped to develop a football team, Talanta FC, which is now playing in the Kenya Premier League. That is another passion I may pursue when I return to Kenya.

Tell us about your parents and siblings.

Mutua Muthusi: I thank God my parents are healthy and productive in their late 80s and living in the village in Kitui County. I have five brothers, with me being the eldest. All of them are in different parts of Kenya. We all live in the same locality in the village and it’s always a joy whenever we have family reunions, mainly in December.

Where did you grow up and go to school?

Mutua Muthusi: I grew up and started school in Kitui and then moved to Mombasa, where my father worked. I attended my secondary school there, before joining Thika High School for my Advanced Level education. I returned to Mombasa and worked for some time before joining the University of Nairobi for my undergraduate studies. I later did my postgraduate course in journalism at the same university. After working for many years, I went to the United States International University in Nairobi for my MBA.

Which is your favourite holiday destination and why?

Mutua Muthusi: Whenever I have some holiday time I return to Kenya and either go to the village in Kitui or to Mombasa, which is like my second home. I also like going to the game parks. I love wildlife. Another destination is southern Europe – Greece, Portugal, Spain, Malta and Italy, among others. These are places with relaxed lifestyles and good food. I also like visiting the Caribbean for similar reasons.

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