OTTAWA, Jan. 18 /CNW/ - The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Rob Merrifield, Minister of State (Transport), today announced the appointment of Mr. Deepak Chopra of North York, Ontario, as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Canada Post Corporation for a five-year mandate, effective February 1, 2011.

"Canada Post Corporation will benefit greatly from Mr. Chopra's dynamic leadership," said Minister Merrifield. "His 15 years of executive experience in providing operational excellence and innovation in the mailing industry will ensure that Canada Post continues to build on the progress already made towards providing postal services that Canadians can count on, maintaining rural service and protecting the mail."

"I am pleased that Mr. Chopra has agreed to serve with the Canada Post Corporation," said Minister Strahl. "His extensive experience in dealing with government and postal officials around the world, as well as his vast knowledge of the regulatory bodies governing the mailing industry will definitely be a strong asset to the corporation."

Until recently, Mr. Chopra was the president and CEO of the Canada and Latin America region at Pitney Bowes in Toronto, a $6-billion global mailing and communication technology company with over two million customers worldwide. Mr. Chopra held several executive positions at Pitney Bowes over his career, including that of president of the newly created Asia-Pacific and Middle East region, and vice-president of the Finance and Operations Branch for the Europe, Africa and Middle East region. Mr. Chopra is a fellow of the Certified General Accountants of Canada and holds a postgraduate diploma in business management and a graduate degree in commerce.

The Canada Post Corporation is a Crown corporation and one of the largest employers in Canada. In 2009, Canada Post delivered approximately 11 billion pieces of mail to 15 million residential and business addresses.

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