Former DPD UK chief Dwain McDonald joins IDS and Royal Mail as non-executive director

The appointment sees McDonald bring his considerable experience of the parcels industry to the business, after spending nearly 33 years at DPD, where he rose through the ranks to become chief executive in 2008.

Under his leadership the company was transformed from a mid-tier B2B carrier into one of the top home delivery couriers in the UK, championing  groundbreaking technology and sustainble strategies.

These included the launch of Predict – the UK’s first one-hour delivery window; FollowMyParcel – the first real-time driver tracking service; Precise – the first delivery service that allowed customers to choose their own delivery window; and the YourDPD app – the first fully integrated delivery app, which quickly grew to more than nine million users.

During McDonald’s tenure as CEO, DPD UK also launched the UK’s first four all-electric depots and operated more than 800 electric vehicles at 84 depots nationwide, as well as investing in electric vehicle home chargers for DPD drivers.

DPDgroup UK also won a welter of awards under his leadership, including five wins at the Motor Transport Awards in 2020, including Customer Care; Home Delivery Operator; Best Use of Technology; Clean Fleet Van Operator; and Urban Delivery Operator.

His time as CEO ended in March 2021, following an internal investigation. No further information was given at the time.

Since leaving DPDgroup UK, McDonald has taken on a number of roles including executive lead at regeneration and community organisation Made In Stoke and CEO of Rio Ferdinand-backed DeliveryApp in April 2023. McDonald left that post after just nine months to  become a strategic advisor for DHL Parcel, and his LinkedIn profile also lists him as MD ecomm and international at Australian delivery group Team Global Express, which he took on in March this year.

Announcing his latest appointment on LinkedIn, McDonald said: “I’m delighted to share that I have joined International Distribution Services and Royal Mail Group, as an independent non-executive director.

“Thank you to the board and leadership for the trust. I am excited to contribute experience across parcels, e-commerce, technology and large-scale operations.

“My focus is simple: support the teams who deliver for customers every day, and back the modernisation work that keeps us competitive.”