UPS creates executive role to promote diversity, women in business

United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) promoted diversity and women’s advancement in the company on Monday through a series of initiatives and the creation of an executive role to cater to women and minorities in business.

The company promoted Kathleen Marran, who has worked for the UPS marketing team for 25 years, to fill the new role of Vice President of Marketing, diversity segments, according to a release.

Marran will lead the company’s mission to provide “growth-oriented” solutions to woman and minority-owned businesses and will head the newly formed external advisory panel designed to promote opportunity for these businesses.

“Kathleen will bring critical international experience and perspective to this important new role,” Kevin Warren, chief marketing officer of UPS said in the release. “This position will be fundamental to the growth of our business and our people well into the future.”

The creation of the advisory and executive roles comes as the company launches its UPS Women Exporters Program, a partnership through the UPS Foundation and the International Trade Centre’s SheTrades initiative, which aims to establish relationships between and promotion of females in the trade industry.

“These initiatives will expand our capabilities within the small and medium-sized business space and leverage our global logistics expertise to help accelerate the growth of minority- and women-owned companies,”Warren said. “Adding additional professional resources and new product and support programs is part of our focus on offering solutions that support small businesses in their goals.”