DHL Global Forwarding appoints Amadou Diallo as CEO for Middle East and Africa

Jul 26, 2017: Amadou Diallo has been appointed as the CEO for the Middle East and Africa region for DHL Global Forwarding. In this new role, Diallo will focus on expanding and deepening the region's international trade connections, as well as incorporating innovative logistics technologies into DHL's offerings to Middle Eastern and African customers.

In his most recent role as executive vice president of Value-Added Services and Integrated Logistics with DHL Global Forwarding, Diallo oversaw a portfolio of innovative services including Saloodo!, DHL's new digital platform.

As the CEO of DHL Freight from 2011 to 2016, he was responsible for the performance and long-term strategic development of the unit, a role he was well-placed to perform with his experience in leading freight forwarding operations in Africa and South Asia Pacific since 2008. Diallo also brings with him a wealth of expertise in logistics network-building, most notably as managing director of DHL's integration with supply chain operator Exel – now DHL Supply Chain – in 2005.

"Amadou's 20 years of expertise in logistics and corporate integration throughout several regions in the world make him the right choice to lead our operations in the Middle East and Africa," said Tim Scharwath, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding and Freight. "Not only does he intimately understand the cultural and economic intricacies of the region, but he also brings with him a truly global perspective of logistics innovation and economic co-operation that put him in good stead to help our customers fully capitalize on the region's growth."

"The Middle East and Africa still have huge potential for trade growth," said Diallo. "Intra-regional trade in Africa only makes up 18 percent of the continent's trade creating sizable opportunities as disposable incomes rise continent-wide, while the Middle East's shift from reliance on natural resources bodes well for significant growth in value-added exports. As the region gains in economic importance – not least due to its strategic value to initiatives like China's Belt and Road– businesses in the Middle East and Africa need comprehensive freight connections, flexible capacity and durable partnerships more than ever before if they wish to grow alongside these opportunities."

"Logistics innovation plays a critical role in any end-to-end supply chain integration, and will feature as a priority in how we go about delivering new services with greater speed, efficiency, and sustainability," Diallo added.

"We hope to not only build our regional network's connectivity to global opportunities through new cross-border agreements and partnerships, but also give our customers the world-class technologies and processes they need to really challenge and overcome overseas competitors."