DHL Global Forwarding has appointed Mark Slade as managing director of Hong Kong and Macau and Charles Kaufmann as managing director of Japan.

“In the logistics industry, success depends on building strong connections both with and on behalf of your customers – something which requires leaders to invest more than financially to serve the market,” said Slade. “Our successes in Japan stem from the steadfast commitment of our team to literally going the extra mile for both our customers and the communities we operate in, and I believe our customers can anticipate even greater results in the years ahead. I’m excited to join our team in Hong Kong and Macau as they continue to sustain our reputation there for excellent customer service and logistics performance, and look forward to applying what I’ve learnt in Japan to take our results and brand to the next level.”

Slade was previously the managing director of Japan and has been the chairman of Japan’s Logistics and Freight Committee for the European Business Council since 2012.

“In his six years leading our operations in Japan, Mark showed a care for the entire market that went well beyond simply doing business,” said Steve Huang, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Greater China. “His contributions to service standards and morale of the business – from leading post-earthquake volunteering efforts to creating networking forums for overseas Japanese professionals – have rallied customers and employees around our brand while also generating exceptional business results. That passion for customer care will prove invaluable to reinforcing the reliability and performance of our Hong Kong operations, which sit at the centre of logistics networks for many Chinese and multinational customers in Asia Pacific.”

In addition to his new role, Kaufmann is also CEO of North Asia and head of value-added services for Asia Pacific.

“As the second-largest trade partner of both China and the European Union, Japan stands to benefit significantly from the higher volume and velocity of trade that initiatives like the Belt and Road promise to generate,” he said. “Buoyed by a steady revival in Japanese exports, we hope to unlock greater overseas opportunities for our Japanese customers by further streamlining customs and forwarding procedures.”

Kaufmann has more than 40 years of experience in the logistics industry.

“Few logistics leaders can claim such a wealth of experience in all areas of forwarding and trade facilitation as Charles, particularly when it comes to enhancing customers’ reach and efficiency with value-added services,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. “Charles’ appointment will see us take an even more integrated approach to the North Asian region, one which will offer our customers a range of strategic benefits as initiatives like the Belt and Road open up new opportunities for our customers. Having spent a significant proportion of his illustrious career in Japan, I’m confident that Charles will achieve sustainable growth for our business in Japan in the years ahead.”