Instilling teamwork at all levels and making the necessary changes to facilitate a better postal system are just two of the goals the new Postmaster General has as he aims to make the Bermuda Post Office a serious competitor in the ever-increasing technological world.

“With the invention of e-mail and the Internet, sending letters through the mail is not always a person's first choice,” said George Outerbridge, who took the helm after Cleveland Critchlow retired after 15 years in the top post.

“The Post Office needs to start reviewing its core services in order to become competitive and find new avenues to raise revenue,” he said.

Mr. Outerbridge, 45, who hails from Hamilton Parish, earned a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce from Carlton University in Ottowa and also obtained a Master's in Business Administration.

Although he said he did not expect to one day become Bermuda's Postmaster General, Mr. Outerbridge said: “Ever since I was 12, I wanted to be an accountant.

“When I began working for Government, I didn't necessarily aspire to be the Postmaster General, I just wanted to be somewhere where I could do my best.”

While he called his new job “exciting and challenging”, Mr. Outerbridge said he was looking at new ways to raise the bar for customer service.

“The Postal Service depends on everyone getting their job done.

“Teamwork is what makes the post office work.

“We need to have everybody on the same page so we can be as effective as possible.”

Mr. Outerbridge said after a comprehensive review of the Post Office is completed, which will include everything from the facility's staffing levels to the actual processes of how things are done, recommendations will be made on how to improve services offered.

One of the concerns Mr. Outerbridge said he has is that many tasks conducted at the Post Office are still done manually, which is behind the times.

“One of the biggest things is for us to be able to develop a terminal dues system which would enable us to better regulate the mail entering and leaving the Island.”

While he admitted there is a lot of work to be done, Mr. Outerbridge is optimistic about the future of the Bermuda Post Office.

“While we must look at the needs of our employees, we realise that the needs of the customers are equally important.”