Dachser announces Executive Board for the future

The future Executive Board team, to be headed by Burkhard Eling, takes over on  January 1, 2021; Bernhard Simon and Michael Schilling will join the Supervisory Board in 2021

“At the end of 2020, Michael Schilling and I will pass on our responsibility on the Executive Board to the next generation of management. This joint move, which has been in the planning for a long time, will create new impetus for the company’s future,” explains Bernhard Simon, CEO of Dachser. “The coronavirus crisis is certainly a great challenge for the entire management team, but it does not call our long-term strategy into question. What’s important now is to pass the company on to a new generation, starting at the top. We are convinced that we can steer Dachser well through the coming months. By keeping our own network stable and the supply chains running, we will continue to serve our customers with reliability and quality.”

New Executive Unit: IT & Development

Also on January 1, 2021, Stefan Hohm will assume responsibility as Chief Development Officer (CDO) for the new IT & Development executive unit, which deals with research and development, innovation topics, IT, contract logistics, and global industry solutions. Alexander Tonn will join Dachser’s Executive Board as COO Road Logistics. The position of CFO will be filled by then as well. Finally, Edoardo Podestà will remain on the Executive Board as COO Air & Sea Logistics. 

“Burkhard Eling, Stefan Hohm, and Alexander Tonn have proven themselves over many years in positions of responsibility within the company and have played a decisive role in shaping Dachser’s development during that time,” Simon continues. “Together with Edoardo Podestà and our future CFO, they will form a management team starting in 2021 that will dynamically address the central topics of the next decade: digitalization combined with customer proximity, sustainability, and the lack of qualified personnel.” 

Burkhard Eling will assume the position of CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and Spokesperson of the Executive Board on January 1, 2021. The 48-year-old joined Dachser’s Executive Board as CFO in 2013. He was responsible for the worldwide implementation of the SAP system and shaped the company’s transition to the legal form of an SE. He also managed the company-wide strategic innovation program Idea2net. Together with Michael Schilling and Bernhard Simon, he orchestrated the post-merger integration of the Iberian logistics provider Azkar (now Dachser Iberia). 

Stefan Hohm will head a newly created Executive Unit, IT & Development, as CDO (Chief Development Officer) starting on January 1, 2021. An experienced manager who has been with the company for 27 years, he will be responsible not just for research and development topics but also for the further development of IT, contract logistics, and the global industry solutions business. The 47-year-old started his career in contract logistics at Dachser before taking over management of the branches in Erfurt and Hof, Germany. As Corporate Director since 2016, he has been responsible for the logistics service provider’s research and development work as well as its solutions business.

Alexander Tonn will assume the position of COO Road Logistics on January 1, 2021, with responsibility for the business development of the European Logistics and Food Logistics business lines. The 46-year-old has been with the company for over 20 years. Following his first management duties as deputy branch manager in Memmingen, Tonn moved to Dachser Head Office in 2014, where he was responsible for the international development of contract logistics. Since 2017 he has also led the European Logistics Germany business unit; he will continue in this role after his appointment as COO Road Logistics. Alfred Miller will retain his role as Managing Director of the Food Logistics business unit. 

The future management team will be completed by Edoardo Podestà, who has been a member of the Dachser Executive Board since October 2019 as COO Air & Sea Logistics. Podestà is responsible for the global air and sea freight business as well as the rail services business between Europe and China, and he also heads the ASL Asia Pacific business unit.

Solid foundations on which to build the future

Bernhard Simon has been a member of the Dachser Executive Board since 1999, and has headed the family-owned company as the shareholders’ representative since 2005. The company’s strong growth and its internationalization are due in large part to Simon’s efforts. Under his leadership, Dachser has developed into one of the most renowned logistics providers in Europe and worldwide. 

Michael Schilling joined the Dachser Executive Board in 2002; since then, he has built up one of the best-performing Europe-wide groupage networks. With these achievements, he has been and remains the driving force and pacesetter for sustainable growth with cross-border transport and contract logistics services. The standardized processes, IT systems, and IT platforms developed under his leadership form the basis for the high level of quality and reliability that distinguishes Dachser in the logistics market.