Hennie Heymans, currently Managing Director of DHL Express South Africa, has been appointed as Managing Director of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), effective from 01 October 2015. In his new role, Heymans will oversee 51 countries and territories, over 3,500 employees and 250 facilities, five regional hubs and 14 dedicated DHL aircraft.
Succeeding Charles Brewer, who is now focused on building a new African e-commerce venture as part of the Mara Group, Heymans’ knowledge of operating in challenging markets, strong leadership skills, as well as his solid network within the African region makes him the natural choice for the role.
A South African national, Heymans joined DHL Express in 2001 as Head of the Direct Business Unit, supervising telesales, agents and retail in Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho. Soon after this, he was appointed Managing Director for Central Africa, and managed eight markets in the region. He later expanded his portfolio to become the Managing Director for Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands (CENIO), where he achieved significant business results and growth, before taking up his current role of Managing Director for the South African region in January 2013.
Ken Allen, Global CEO of DHL Express, says that under Heymans’ leadership, the company has seen major development in both the regional and South African businesses. “Hennie has consistently delivered on some tough targets despite the sometimes uneasy economic climate. He has also played an integral role in driving leadership and motivating our people to ensure DHL remains the logistics provider of choice. We are confident that he will continue to grow our market share and now bring his particular brand of respectful leadership and results-driven approach to an even bigger challenge.”
Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to grow the share of revenues generated in emerging markets significantly, and the Sub-Saharan Africa region will play a vital part in this strategy. Heymans said: “DHL Express will continue to invest in its people and network in Africa. Having entered the African market 37 years ago, we have witnessed the turnaround from the ‘forgotten continent’ to ‘Africa Rising’ and we now wish to be part of the next phase – ‘Africa Thriving’.”
