DHL Global Forwarding has appointed Fabian Rybka as its cluster head for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, along with partner operations in Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives.

According to DHL, Rybka will be responsible for further boosting productivity and expanding the company’s range of services in the markets under his leadership, focusing particularly on developing key products in ocean freight and value-added services like customs and integrated warehousing. He also continues to lend his business turnaround skills to projects throughout the broader South Asia and Asia-Pacific regions.

“I firmly believe Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the surrounding markets of Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal hold opportunity for substantial growth,” he said. “We have a role to play to connect these economies to the rest of the world, supporting foreign businesses to invest in these markets, and also encouraging exports from local businesses overseas. Bangladesh’s GDP is growing faster than almost anywhere else in Asia at 7.3% per annum, while Sri Lanka continues to see steady increases in both imports and exports that point to its growing connectedness and market opportunity within the global economy. As business optimism grows, my goal is to ensure we make our world-class logistics services as accessible and reliable as possible to enterprises of all sizes throughout the cluster.”

Rybka has more than 10 years of experience at DHL Global Forwarding in both Asia and Europe. He was most recently head of business strategy and development at DHL Global Forwarding ASEAN and South Asia, where he spearheaded successful growth initiatives in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, amongst other markets. He previously specialized in designing and executing growth plans for DHL Global Forwarding’s high-potential markets including Italy, India, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as key operations in European markets.

“Fabian has built up a formidable track record for turning even the most challenging business situations into environments of high growth and customer satisfaction,” said Thomas Tieber, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding ASEAN and South Asia. “He has already proven that ability in guiding our teams in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to significant results while understanding the nuances of the local market operations. I can think of no better individual to lead these growth markets and further build on our strong market position.”