Marcel is leading the APAC team & operations in Australia, New Zealand, India, Vietnam, Hong Kong & South Korea, as one of the largest authorised global partners of leading carriers including DHL, TNT/ FedEx & UPS, the
InXpress business has an extensive franchise network of over 450 locations that has grown since 1999, and is now in 14 countries spanning the Americas, Asia Pacific and UK/EMEA regions.
Raised in Sydney where he was educated and worked in his career initially, now he lives in Brisbane with his wife and daughter. Marcel values family time, opportunities to travel, and watching and playing sports.
In this interview, Marcel shares his story and what he went through after he lost his father in his early 20’s. His father died at age 49 and marcel took over the family business, and stepped into a support and leadership role that forced him to stretch beyond his comfort zone at such a young age. He became the rock to those around him, colleagues, family, and friends. This made a lot of sense to me, as upon my first meeting with Marcel in person when I was engaged to speak at the Gold Coast conference earlier this year in 2022, he had a way of making you feel totally at ease in his company. Amongst his peers, you can see that he is the rock, and it is always so inspiring to meet a leader as warm and grounded as Marcel.
Marcel believes that resilience is a state of mind, that we take into situations. It is our approach to adversity and challenges, and he believes our ability to be optimistic plays an important role in how we navigate our way through them.
“Looking at things from a business perspective and what we did in the company to get through that code to still be successful, and you take that into your personal life as well. So from a resilience perspective, yes, it's a state of mind, I think it's actually the approach and the approach you take to dealing with certain situations good and bad. I am able to see the world naturally as a glass half full. And I think that no matter what life throws at you, I think that you've got to take a certain level of optimism into it.” says Marcel.
As a result of taking on such a big role and being stretched beyond his limits in his early 20s, Marcel says “I had to suppress my feelings after my Dad dies to lead his company. Hi didn’t find a way to let his emotions out, and he wasn’t yet equipped to deal with the business, the staff, and the difficult decisions that a CEO must make.
“And I think that that was very, very challenging, challenging. And at the time, you maybe don't even get a chance emotionally to deal with what you need to, to let out how you are feeling because you're immediately into a fix it sort of mode for others. And it wasn't until time passed that truly I can reflect on that, being very close to my father. And still, it was very, very difficult to do all that whilst having those emotions. So I've got a feeling that that's helped shape me, it doesn't make me perfect, it just means I've got a few learnings that I think I've I've taken from him that was maybe forced upon me through circumstance”.
”I think it also forces me to think of self-reflection, for our business during COVID, I know that I am now a little bit older and wiser. I like to think that I reflect more on situations, reflect, and try to plan in advance when something happens to try to reflect. I think self-reflection is a really important thing to try not to beat yourself up.” says Marcel
Talking to Marcel, gave me clarity in understanding that as we get a bit wiser, we realise that sometimes when things don't go our way, it's actually directing us towards a path that is right for us and in a new direction that although unfamiliar, in alignment with what we are ready for next. So we must have that confidence and faith in our ability to manage our emotions, to regulate our reactions, upon reflection.
When we go through loss, grief, and big challenges, especially at a young age, we learn. We acquire tools that we bring into our adult lives, and upon observation and evidently, in Marcel’s life and career, we can turn lemons into lemonade and these tools help us to be braver, courageous, and more resilient. It allows us to step out of our comfort zone, we can lead the way, because we have stretched this muscle before. I admire people that display characteristics of resilience like this, it’s a little bit of magic and a sparkle in their eye, and it’s their ability to lead with courage, and also grace. It’s humbling yet exciting to be in their company. They make things happen, and they get the best out of all who surround them. Those that are following want to be their best, they are enthusiastic to try because they have an environment that makes them want to, that makes them believe in themselves too.
Marcel’s tips: