Leadership today requires a keen awareness of a constantly changing landscape and a focus on solving significant, real-world problems. A successful leader begins by addressing client needs with clarity and precision, ensuring that the solutions provided are both effective and impactful. It’s crucial to prioritize the right challenges, promote collaboration, and align efforts toward common objectives.
Shemin Nurmohamed, Executive Vice President and President of Sending Technology Solutions at Pitney Bowes, exemplifies such leadership. With over 25 years of experience, she has effectively built and led large, diverse teams to achieve operational and strategic success. In an exclusive interview with The Enterprise World, Shemin has shared some of the important insights from her journey.
Can you share your personal and professional journey with us? What was the key moment that inspired you to pursue your current career path?
My career journey has been far from linear, but each experience has been instrumental in shaping my role as President of Sending Technology Solutions at Pitney Bowes. Starting with a background in chemistry, I explored diverse roles in investment banking, finance, sales, strategy, and product management. These varied experiences have provided me with a well-rounded understanding of business operations, which helps me lead with both vision and adaptability.
I believe that the more diverse your experiences, the higher you can rise. By stepping outside your comfort zone and taking on different roles, you build a strong foundation that enables you to see the bigger picture and lead confidently. My progress wasn’t driven by one singular moment but by a series of intentional decisions to broaden my expertise. I encourage aspiring leaders to embrace a wide range of experiences, as the ability to connect insights across different fields is a key trait of transformative leadership.
How do you think leadership has evolved in recent years, and what are the key qualities that enable a leader to succeed in today’s competitive environment?
Leaders must stay deeply engaged with their industry, understanding market trends and how competitors are positioned, while also using their own products to refine and communicate their value proposition. Leadership thrives on a clear sense of purpose and the confidence to rally teams around a compelling vision. A key decision I made as a leader was to provide all Pitney Bowes employees with access to our shipping software, PitneyShip.
This initiative not only empowered our team to better understand and use our product but also helped us attract thousands of new clients. The feedback we received from this initiative was invaluable in refining the software and strengthening our competitive position. Effective leadership is about inspiring and empowering others toward common goals.
What challenges have you faced throughout your remarkable journey?
Challenges are an inevitable part of leadership, and I’ve faced many that have shaped my approach. One personal challenge, like many women, was balancing a fulfilling career with family life. Early on, I worked part-time to be present for my children, making sacrifices but gaining clarity on what truly mattered. As they grew older, I shifted focus back to my career. The best advice I received was, “You can have it all, but not all at once.”
Another early challenge was the belief that I needed to know more than others to succeed. Over time, I learned the importance of trusting others’ expertise and leaning into my own strengths. As JFK said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” Trusting my team and embracing continuous learning have been key to my leadership style.
Lastly, stepping outside my comfort zone has been both challenging and growth-inducing. Taking on roles in unfamiliar areas like finance, strategy, and product management required humility but provided invaluable experience, ultimately shaping my ability to lead at the highest levels.
How have the individuals you admire shaped your own values and aspirations?
Inspiration evolves with time, but I’m always drawn to individuals who embody authenticity and inspire through their character. A lasting influence for me is Candice Millard, whose books highlight the pivotal moments that shape great leaders, emphasizing resilience and growth before recognition.
Professionally, I admire leaders like Laurence Haziot, who championed women in leadership and excelled at uniting people around the purpose behind decisions. Her focus on inclusivity and clarity is something I aim to emulate.
True leadership, for me, is rooted in character and growth through service and challenges. These examples remind me that leadership is about the journey and the lessons learned along the way, not just reaching the peak.
As the leader of the company, what roles and responsibilities do you bear?
As a leader, my primary responsibility is to establish a clear vision that inspires others and ensures we are all working toward the same goals. This involves not only defining our strategic priorities but also effectively communicating them across the organization, ensuring that each team member understands how their work contributes to our collective success.
To achieve this, I focus on empowering my teams by removing barriers, implementing systems that foster success, and consistently reinforcing the broader strategy. When everyone is aligned and working toward a shared purpose, the momentum becomes unstoppable. As President Theodore Roosevelt wisely said, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
Leadership at this level is less about managing the day-to-day details and more about building cohesion, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that every effort contributes to the larger vision. It’s about inspiring belief in the mission so that each individual understands their role as critical to the success of the entire organization.
Can you highlight some key achievements from your distinguished career?
- Developing Exceptional Leaders: The achievement I’m most proud of is helping to develop the careers of the exceptional leaders I work with every day. To me, leadership is about empowering others and creating opportunities for them to grow and succeed. Watching their progress has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my journey.
- Driving Business Growth: I’m also proud of driving growth in a legacy business by identifying and creating adjacent opportunities, which resulted in securing 200,000 paid subscribers in less than five years. This achievement showcased our ability to innovate and execute effectively, even in a challenging environment, while delivering real value.
- Authoring a Book & Delivering a TEDx Talk: In addition, I authored a book titled Outshine, focused on becoming an effective female leader, and delivered a TEDx talk on the same subject. These opportunities allowed me to share my insights and experiences with a broader audience, inspiring others to tap into their leadership potential. These milestones highlight my commitment to fostering growth—not only for myself but for the teams and individuals around me.
In a rapidly changing environment, how do you stay updated with evolving market dynamics?
Staying informed requires a broad approach and a commitment to continuous learning. I dedicate time daily to reading about client challenges, macroeconomic trends, and tech advancements like AI, helping me anticipate market needs and position our business for success.
I also engage with forums like World 50 and YPO, which offer valuable insights into C-suite priorities and strategies. This helps align our approach with industry trends and gain peer perspectives.
Client feedback is another key source of information, often revealing emerging trends. When I notice consistent themes, it signals areas to explore and innovate. Staying informed through research, networks, and client interactions is essential for driving meaningful change.
How do you support your employees, and what makes your team and company culture unique?
At Pitney Bowes, our culture is built on care, development, and collaboration, a legacy started by early CEO Walter Wheeler. He emphasized continuous employee growth through training, assignments, and skill-building opportunities. This focus on nurturing talent remains central today. We value our employees, recognize their contributions, promote from within, and encourage open communication, fostering an environment of engagement and success.
Our team culture stands out for its unity and collaboration. We succeed as “Team SendTech,” where collective effort drives us forward, even during challenges.
We also live by the principle, “We do the right thing the right way,” which extends to respecting diverse perspectives and experiences within our teams. By prioritizing employee growth and well-being, we inspire meaningful contributions toward shared goals.
How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance, and what are your interests or hobbies outside of work?
Living in France for over 20 years has deepened my appreciation for the country’s focus on work-life balance. The French prioritize time for family and self, which has shaped my leadership style. I ensure my team and I fully disconnect during vacations, recognizing that rest is crucial for long-term creativity and performance.
This inspired my next project: a book on the French approach to work-life balance, offering practical tips for achieving both personal well-being and professional success.
Outside of work, I focus on wellness through reading, cooking, and writing, and I’m fascinated by what brings happiness. As leaders, it’s vital to set an example by recharging, just as much as guiding teams through challenges.
As Arianna Huffington said, “Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen,” and achieving balance requires intentionality and reflection.
What advice would you give to young business leaders aspiring to achieve great success in their careers?
My key advice is to embrace being a change agent. Whether in a new role or project, leverage your unique experiences and ideas to innovate, challenge the status quo, and seek better solutions. As Steve Jobs said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Thinking creatively can set you apart and drive transformation.
Broaden your career experience across roles, industries, or geographies. Each move builds a stronger leadership foundation and deepens your understanding of how businesses operate.
Building relationships and fostering collaboration is essential. Great leaders inspire others, align teams around shared goals, and earn trust.
Continuous learning is crucial—stay curious, seek feedback, and adapt to an evolving business landscape. Don’t fear failure; it’s often the best teacher.
Leadership is about making a positive, lasting impact, not just personal success. Stay grounded in your values and open to growth, and you’ll inspire others to do the same.
When was Pitney Bowes founded, and what was the mission and vision behind its establishment?
Pitney Bowes was founded in 1920 by inventor Arthur Pitney and promoter Walter Bowes. Together, they pioneered the metered mail industry, which became the foundation for over 100 years of innovations in mailing and shipping. The mission behind its creation was to simplify the process of sending mail—enabling businesses to add postage (federal money) to their mail without needing to visit the Post Office each time. This focus on removing complexity in how businesses send and receive items—whether mail or packages—continues to drive our efforts today, albeit with much more innovation and enhanced capabilities.
What products and services does Pitney Bowes offer, and how do they differ from competitors?
Pitney Bowes offers a comprehensive range of products, services, and financing options for clients, making it unique in the industry. At the core of our offering is technology—equipment and software—that businesses use to process mail and packages, with complete visibility across all shipments, whether from multiple locations or with different carriers. Additionally, we provide businesses with pre-negotiated rates, delivering cost savings through discounted rates.
We also offer mailing services, where we co-mingle mail from various businesses, sorting it to the nearest zip code and delivering it to USPS for significant savings. Furthermore, Pitney Bowes provides financial services, including leases and credit options, which help clients manage their cash flow. No other competitors provide such a comprehensive suite of mailing, shipping, and financial services. Instead, we face distinct competitors in each individual segment where we operate.
What has contributed to the long-standing success of Pitney Bowes?
Pitney Bowes was founded on the principles of innovation, recognizing a need and creating solutions to address it, all while maintaining a commitment to doing the right thing, the right way—for clients, employees, shareholders, and the communities we serve. This constant innovation in response to changing market needs, coupled with our dedication to integrity, has sustained Pitney Bowes for over 100 years and will continue to drive our success for the next century.
Can you share some customer feedback or testimonials?
“The Pitney Bowes shipping solutions are outstanding. Everything is organized and streamlined. The Shipping 360 suite of applications is accurate and user-friendly.”
Wingate University
“ShipAccel [from Pitney Bowes] offers a great platform and interface. Overall, we’ve had an extremely positive experience. It helps us manage our eCommerce business efficiently.”
Automotive Company
“We collaborate with Pitney Bowes to establish rules that allow us to streamline processes, reducing the decision-making burden on our employees. It also ensures we get medication to our customers quickly while saving on shipping costs.”
Boston Medical Center
What products or services can we expect from Pitney Bowes in the future?
Building on the capabilities of our Shipping360 platform, we will continue to enhance the sending and receiving experience for our clients. As advancements in AI emerge, we will explore opportunities to integrate these technologies where they align with our goals, always ensuring human oversight remains central to the process.
