DHL Global Forwarding, a provider of air, sea, and road freight services in Europe and Asia, has appointed Daniella de Pauw as chief executive officer, Sub-Saharan Africa. In her new role, de Pauw is based in Johannesburg and will be responsible for driving growth in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. She currently reports to Thomas Nieszner, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Europe.

“Daniella’s strong background in Africa's unique logistics climate has made her well-equipped to scale our operational and reputational footprint to the next level,” said Thomas Nieszner, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Europe. “With her great experience as a Forwarder and her vast network and knowledge in the Africa region, her return to DHL will strongly support our efforts to strengthen our market position in the Sub-Saharan Africa region and our rapidly expanding presence in Africa will benefit from her steadfast leadership.”

In her previous role with DHL Global Forwarding, de Pauw was managing director for South Africa and regional director for Southern Africa and Indian Ocean. Prior to that, she was appointed as vice president, Danzas Africa in 2001 and held several management positions within DHL Global Forwarding Africa region. de Pauw first joined the DPDHL Group as a managing director with Profreight Aircargo (Pty) Ltd in Johannesburg in 1987. 

“With a compound annual 4 percent growth rate that shows no signs of slowing, Africa is one of our network’s fastest growing markets. But while capital investment continues to hit higher and higher levels – reaching US$128 billion in 2014 – Africa still needs increasingly robust infrastructure networks to harness it to its full potential: infrastructure investment in the continent still experiences an annual deficit of US$50 billion. For example, while 31 percent of business leaders expect agriculture to drive growth in Africa, this will only be possible if supported by highly reliable and versatile freight channels connecting producers with both regional and global demand,” said de Pauw. “Having served businesses in the region for over 35 years, we continue to ensure that the markets have access to our logistics solutions for their everyday needs. I look forward to working with our first-rate team again to continue going the extra mile in fulfilling our customers’ needs with excellence.”