The company, the UK’s second-largest postal operator with a turnover of £600m, currently handles 60 million packets and parcels through its downstream access (DSA) operation. 

Key started in the newly created role last month and will oversee a number of new developments within the division.

The firm said it will now offer a range of tracked and untracked services that are scalable and flexible and meet the needs of all clients, from large multi-channel retailers to Ebay sellers or small independent boutiques.

Whistl chief executive Nick Wells said: “Christine will help us build our Packets and Parcels business by offering services to clients that they have been demanding we supply, which will be underpinned by our unrivalled account management team capability.”

Key added: “Whistl is a dynamic and evolving business always looking for different ways to meet the needs of current and new clients.

“I look forward to building upon that heritage with our new Packets and Parcels services that bring choice into clients supply chain, help them meet their customer demand and give them greater resilience through peak.”

Key has previously worked as sales director at Yodel/Home Delivery Network, sales director at DPD/Geopost UK and commercial director at Parcelnet.

Key has also joined the Whistl executive board, which was formed following the recent MBO of the company from PostNL and also saw the firm appoint James Greenbury as a senior independent director in November.

Prior to the MBO, Marlow, Buckinghamshire-headquartered Whistl had been a wholly owned subsidiary of PostNL since 2011. It was previously called TNT Post UK, prior to a rebrand in September 2014, and had been a subsidiary of TNT Group until 2011.