The Management Board

„We are Securing our Future by Taking Bold Action.“

The title of the new magazine – “Fast Forward – Always moving forward” – is especially fitting when you look at our Management Board.

Walter Oblin_ The current composition of the Management Board represents both progress and continuity in equal measure. I took over from Georg Pölzl when he stepped down as CEO and the Chair of the Management Board in October 2024 after 15 years at the helm. Barbara Potisk-Eibensteiner, one of Austria’s most experienced finance executives, came in to replace me as our CFO at the beginning of the year. My colleague Peter Umundum has been our Deputy CEO since October while also serving as the Member of the Management Board for Parcel & Logistics.

Let’s take a look back at the last financial year – could you give us a quick summary of how 2024 went?

Walter Oblin_ The economic landscape in Europe is definitely challenging. Despite this, we increased our revenue by 14% and saw a 9% increase in earnings. The improvements that we achieved in every division are down to the incredible work of our 27,802 employees in 13 countries. Our letter mail business is in decline, but last year various special effects, such as numerous elections, had a stabilising effect. We handled these volumes without sacrificing our commitment to providing high-quality services, alongside record-breaking national and international parcel volumes.

Peter Umundum_ The outlook for our parcel business was undeniably positive, with those record-breaking figures clearly signalling growth. As a group, we transported over half a billion parcels domestically and abroad – a 6% increase on last year. In Austria alone, we handled 224 million parcels, which was 12% more than in the previous year.

Just ten years ago, we were moving fewer than 100 million parcels per year – since then, our volumes have multiplied threefold. We have handled this boom without having to compromise on our commitment to high-quality delivery services, despite some significant seasonal fluctuations. This growth is clear evidence of our capabilities and the trust that our customers place in us.

Barbara Potisk-Eibensteiner_ Profitable growth is absolutely key for us. At the end of the day, we want to continue delivering a strong profit margin that allows us to turn our ambitions into reality. That focus shapes everything from how we finance our expansion projects to our dividend policy. This last point is especially important. We stand by our commitment to the capital markets: we are, and will remain, a dividend stock and a reliable partner for investors.

Walter Oblin, CEO,
Chairman of the Management Board
Walter Oblin joined Austrian Post in October 2009 as Head of Strategy and Group Development. He was appointed CFO in July 2012. In January 2019, he became Deputy Chief Executive Officer and took on responsibility for the Mail Division. The Supervisory Board of Austrian Post appointed Walter Oblin as Chair of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 October 2024.

In a fast-moving world, is there still a great deal of stability to be found?

Walter Oblin_ This reliability is a core strength of ours. As a company, we stand for consistency and predictability. At the same time, we know how important it is to make the changes that we need to, and we are updating our strategy. We are integrating fresh ideas which will allow us to seize even more opportunities in the markets we serve, which reach around 150 million people. This applies both to our core market of Austria and to the international environment, where we want to be a part of the growth in e-commerce. We currently make EUR 3.1bn in revenue per year; we want to grow that figure to EUR 4bn by 2030.

Peter Umundum_ To achieve this, we position ourselves as a premium logistics provider in all of our markets and deliver top-tier parcel services to our customers. This applies just as much to our core Austrian market as it does to our international operations in Southeast and Eastern Europe, Türkiye and Azerbaijan. These regions and countries are increasingly important to us from a strategic perspective due to their strong growth potential.

Peter Umundum, Deputy CEO,
Parcel & Logistics (COO)
Peter Umundum, who has been responsible for the Parcel & Logistics Division of Österreichische Post AG since 1 April 2011, was appointed Deputy CEO with effect from 1 October 2024. He is responsible for Austrian Post’s parcel business in Austria and subsidiaries in Southeast and Eastern Europe, as well as Türkiye and Azerbaijan. He is also responsible for the company’s letter and parcel logistics in Austria, an area with around 13,000 employees.

Austrian Post has also been a model of consistency when it comes to the green transformation. What progress did the company make in 2024, and where do we go from here?

Peter Umundum_ Sustainability is a cornerstone of our corporate identity, and it played a defining role in the past financial year. We have reduced our logistics carbon footprint in Austria even further to 66,800 tonnes, which is 21% lower than the figure for 2023. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and expanding our electric fleet have a key role to play when it comes to cutting our emissions. Across the Group, we have increased the size of our electric fleet from 4,133 to 5,195 vehicles. The last mile of all of our deliveries in Austria will be fossil-free by 2030. We have also fully transitioned our entire Austrian truck fleet to fossil-free hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel. This bridging technology is another valuable tool which we can use to reduce our CO2 emissions. Photovoltaic systems are another area we are focusing on. In Austria alone, we’ve already constructed a total capacity of around 18 MWp.

Barbara Potisk-Eibensteiner_ Around a third of the approximately EUR 150m we invest each year is dedicated to our green transformation. Most of that goes towards vehicles and photovoltaics. We’re committed to this path. We plan to add new delivery vehicles and more electric trucks to our electric fleet in 2025.

Barbara Potisk-Eibensteiner, CFO
Barbara Potisk-Eibensteiner has been the Chief Financial Officer of Austrian Post since 1 January 2025. She is responsible for all finance functions as well as Group Real Estate, Group IT & Procurement and Group Legal, accounting for some of Austrian Post’s main management and service provision functions. She plays an active role on the Supervisory Board of bank99, with a focus on finance and IT agendas.

What else is going to shape Austrian Post’s plans over the next few months and years?

Walter Oblin_ The major trends in the postal market remain unchanged. Letter volumes continue to decline globally, and we expect parcel volumes to keep rising. This means that we need to adapt. In order to keep growing, we need to be fully prepared to meet our customers’ changing needs across different sectors and markets. Over the coming months, we’ll also be navigating the impact of sluggish economic growth in certain countries, which is having an impact on both our customers and our business. The challenges ahead are significant, but we’re ready to tackle them head-on.

Austrian Post will keep moving forward to maintain its resilient business model. It is also important to harness the tremendous potential in the regions in which we operate, despite the changes in the market.

In the current financial year, we intend to maintain the profitability needed to continue investing in the logistics and infrastructure which play such an important role in terms of our operational success and growth targets. We also remain fully committed to delivering on our dividend promise to our shareholders.

Peter Umundum_ We are always looking for ways in which we can improve and innovate for our customers. This is particularly important in challenging times. One major trend is the growing demand for self-service solutions. Our convenient and flexible Austrian Post stations have been very well received by the market. We plan to significantly expand this offering across the Group in the coming years by doubling the number of locations from 4,700 today to more than 10,000 by 2025/26.

Barbara Potisk-Eibensteiner_ 2024 was an excellent year in terms of earnings. We increased our EBIT by 9% to EUR 207.3m. As a result, our shareholders will see their dividends increase to EUR 1.83. Following this strong growth phase, we are forecasting moderate revenue growth for the year ahead. Our goal remains the same: delivering stable performance for all stakeholders. This includes maintaining a high payout ratio and ensuring that our shareholders continue to benefit from 75% of our net profit.