"I'm excited to bring my extensive market experience to the EMEA region," says Retief. "With the growth opportunities here, from multi-sector industries, strategic locations to rapid urbanization and increasing consumer demand, our customers rely on our solutions to simplify and scale their contract logistics operations."

An immediate key focus will be on the peak season, one of the biggest annual challenges for the logistics industry. Retief highlights, "We anticipate the peak period starting earlier this year where our E-Commerce & Omni-channel, Returns operations including Aftermarket business, serve in full gear. The primary focus will be ensuring scalable capacity for our customers through our network of warehouses, transportation, and value-added services to quickly accommodate fluctuating volumes. Our goal is to collaborate closely with our customers to develop sustainable supply chain strategies, through our Lead Logistics Partner offering, that allow businesses to confidently navigate the surge in demand during one of the most demanding times of the year." Retief also intends to focus on enhancing offerings for smaller web shops, with the DHL Fulfillment Network.

Retief will assume his new role on September 1, 2024, reporting directly to Hendrik Venter, CEO of DHL Supply Chain EMEA. He succeeds Leonard Aerts, who has moved to Monta Holding B.V. DHL Supply Chain has been partnering with Monta, a leading Dutch e-commerce fulfillment company, since October 2022.