DSV has announced several changes to its leadership team in the course of the planned acquisition of Schenker. The appointments will take effect after the transaction is completed, which is expected on April 30, 2025. Helmut Schweighofer will take over the management of the Road Division, succeeding Søren Schmidt, who is leaving the company. Schweighofer was previously CEO of Schenker's Europe region. Vishal Sharma will become the new Group Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), replacing Morten Landry, who is set to become CCO of the Air & Sea Division starting in 2026. Saskia Blochberger will be appointed as Group Chief People Officer to the leadership team. She was previously in the same role at Schenker Europe. Further personnel decisions are to follow after the transaction is completed.
The general meeting of the Association of Freight Railways has elected Henrik Würdemann as the new chairman of the board. The managing director of Captrain Deutschland succeeds Ludolf Kerkeling, who is stepping down after twelve years. Following the meeting in Karlsruhe, the board unanimously appointed Würdemann as the new chairman. Kerkeling was honored as honorary chairman for his long-standing service. During his tenure, Kerkeling expanded the association and positioned it successfully with both politics and competitors. Under his leadership, the number of member companies increased from 22 to 110.
Ingrid Jägering will resign from her position on the supervisory board of SAF-Holland SE after the general meeting on May 20, 2025. The supervisory board proposes the election of Dagmar Rehm as her successor. Rehm is also expected to take over the chairmanship of the audit committee if elected. Rehm brings extensive experience in finance and compliance roles. Most recently, she was the CFO of juwi AG and has been working as a business consultant since 2021. Additionally, the supervisory board is to be expanded from five to six members. Hans-Werner Kaas is intended as another new member. The former McKinsey partner has international consulting experience in the automotive and industrial sectors. The general meeting will decide on both personnel matters.
Nicole Knapp will become the new Managing Director of Railway Traffic at the Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen (VDV) as of June 1, 2025. The executive committee appointed her to this position at its most recent meeting. Knapp brings around 16 years of experience in the railway sector. She has worked for Netinera, the Association of the Railway Industry, and in various roles at Deutsche Bahn. She is currently heading communications for the infrastructure sector of DB AG.
The Duvenbeck Group is further expanding its international presence and has appointed David Dudek as its official representative in China. He is to establish and lead a new subsidiary in Hong Kong. Dudek brings over 35 years of experience in global supply chain management and has previously held leadership positions at CEVA and in various countries. In his new role, he reports directly to Chief Commercial Officer Marco Nazzari.
The Rhenus Group appointed three new members to its board of directors as of April 1, 2025. Dr. Joana Bätz will take responsibility for HR, sustainability, and compliance. Jan Harnisch will be responsible for the Air & Ocean Division. Dr. Marcus Ewig will oversee the Automotive Division as well as procurement, health & safety, and quality management. By expanding the board to seven members, the company is responding to increasing complexity and international growth.
As of mid-2025, Sven Bley will leave F. W. Neukirch at his own request. The long-standing managing director has shaped the company in various leadership roles since 2002 and has been solely responsible since 2020. Martin Schlömp will assume the management role on April 1, 2025, taking over sole leadership from July. The 54-year-old logistics expert brings extensive experience in contract logistics and the automotive sector.
Axel Kern took over as CFO of Sievert SE on March 24, 2025. The graduate business informatics specialist brings long-standing leadership experience in financial management of international companies as well as in the areas of IT and procurement. Most recently, he worked as a Business Development Director in Malaysia. Together with CEO René Grupp, he will drive the strategic development of the Sievert Group. The focus is on growth strategy, digitalization, and process optimization.
Since April 1, 2025, Miguel Iglesias is also responsible for sales in the Southwest Europe region in addition to his current role as Country Manager for Spain at Schmitz Cargobull. He will lead the national organizations in France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. In his new role, Iglesias reports to Ralph Kleideiter, Board Member Sales at Schmitz Cargobull. Together with the country managers in the four markets, he is to expand sales activities and drive business development. The manager has been with the company since 2000 and has known the Southern European market for many years. In his new role, he will also remain responsible for sales, marketing, and aftersales in Spain.
As the new Chief Sales Officer of TX Logistik AG, Dirk Steffes will take over responsibility for sales and marketing. He will also become a member of the four-member executive board. Steffes was already in the same position for the railway logistics company from 2011 to 2013 and is now returning after positions at Radia Inc., Mitsui Rail Capital Europe, and DB Cargo. Most recently, he has worked as an advisor for Swiss Life Asset Managers and as a supervisory board member of Helrom GmbH in the intermodal sector. TX Logistik is part of Mercitalia Logistics, a subsidiary of the FS Italiane Group.
The logistics company Mader has expanded its management team in Nuremberg to drive the strategic development in the areas of e-fulfillment and contract logistics. Markus Lindner has been heading the branch since the end of 2024. He brings over 20 years of experience from leadership positions in logistics and was most recently with GO! Express & Logistics. Since January 2025, Jürgen Mücke has been responsible for new business at the location as Business Development Manager. He also comes from GO! and has extensive sales experience with various logistics and service companies.
On April 1, 2025, the Simon Hegele Group appointed two new management positions in their subsidiaries. Björn Kaiser took over the management of IT Chain GmbH and remains Head of Sales and Key Account Management at Simon Hegele Gesellschaft für Logistik und Service mbH. Kaiser has been with the company since 2003 and has extensive experience in the development of logistics IT solutions. Markus Henn complements the management of Distriparts Deutschland GmbH alongside Michael Wahl. Henn has been responsible for the group's central project management since 2018 and brings comprehensive knowledge in process planning and control. Both companies are wholly owned by the Simon Hegele Group.
The Geis Group is reorganizing its Air + Sea Services division. Klaus Hrazdira, previously COO of Quehenberger Logistics, will now take charge of the entire international air and sea freight business of the corporate group. This includes all country subsidiaries as well as the subsidiaries General Transport and Quehenberger Logistics. With this step, Geis is consistently advancing the integration of Quehenberger Logistics and strengthening the central management of the division. Klaus Hrazdira brings extensive experience in international logistics and remains COO of Quehenberger Logistics.
With the 41st general meeting of the German Transport Forum (DVF) on April 8, 2025, the term of office of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Raimund Klinkner as chairman of the DVF presidium ended. Klinkner handed over the chairmanship to Frank Dreeke, who was CEO of the BLG Logistics Group until the end of 2024. Dreeke was elected as the new presidium chairman by the general meeting and the presidium. Additionally, other members were re-elected to the presidium for a three-year term.
