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Taiwanese defies the odds as head of delivery company

Despite the global economic slowdown, Lucy Lee (李澂涓), the first Taiwanese businesswoman to take on the top post at a leading international express delivery company, led TNT International Express’ (天遞) Taiwan branch to 23 percent year-on-year growth in the first 10 months this year.

TNT Express is a delivery service unit of the Hoofddorp, Netherlands-based TNT NV, Europe’s second-biggest express delivery company.

The international express delivery industry has historically been male-dominated. However, early last year, parent TNT decided to promote Lee as country president after seeing her potential. Lee has been with TNT Taiwan for more than 15 years.

As a young woman, Lee had been closely watched by peers in the industry. Under Lee’s management, TNT Taiwan has succeeded in bucking the downward trend of declining international trade this year. And many have begun to wonder how she managed to accomplish this.

“I’d suggest going with the strongest market of your company rather than tapping into a hot market,” Lee said.

Europe is TNT’s largest market, with 55 percent of TNT Taiwan’s orders bound for that market, while Asia only accounts for 20 percent to 30 percent of global sales.

Although trade between Taiwan and China has grown rapidly in recent years, Lee said TNT Taiwan has no plans to actively invest in China.

She said the Chinese market is already packed with local businesses, along with Taiwanese and Hong Kong express delivery businesses, all competing for their own piece of the pie.

“Price competition will only lead to lower profits. Companies should not just rush into a market where they believe more goods and services could potentially be sold,” she said.

Lee also resorted to the “Blue Ocean Strategy” by strengthening the company’s business in the Middle East, including Dubai and Saudi Arabia, which most international express delivery companies have neglected.

While planning to turn the Middle East market into a major source of profit, TNT Taiwan also launched the “Latin America economic class express delivery services” this year, which focuses on Central and South America.
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