Boris Winkelmann takes charge at DPD Germany
Parcel carrier DPD Germany has promoted its chief operating officer to take over as chief executive from the start of next month. Boris Winkelmann, 43, is taking over from Arnold Schroven, who is stepping up to take responsibility for international projects as executive vice president of parent company GeoPost Group, part of French postal operator La Poste.
Schroven, 59, who has spent 13 years as CEO at DPD Germany, first joining DPD management in 1992, will continue at the company as part of its Supervisory Board.
DPD Germany’s new chief was appointed COO only a year ago, but has since worked to drive the company’s strategy, particularly in the business-to-consumer and e-commerce delivery, with the introduction of innovations like Predict, the company’s two-hour delivery window, and plans to expand same-day services and the DPD parcel shop network in Germany.
Schroven said: “Boris Winkelmann has progressed a great deal in a short time, focussing DPD on the future of the market. I am confident he will build on the success of DOD, securing the company a leading role in the German B2C market.”
Winkelmann has more than 20 years of experience in the parcel and express industry, having held various management positions at the corporate headquarters of Dutch postal and shipping giant TNT from 1994 until he joined GeoPost in 1999. At GeoPost, he worked to coordinate the majority takeover of DPD in Germany from 1999 to 2001.
After this period, he spent ten years in various entrepreneurial pursuits, including setting up the online shipping service LetMeShip with his brother Mark Winkelmann, the market research firm CEP-Research and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm ITA Consulting.
Winkelmann, who is married with two children, speaks fluent French, Spanish, English and German.
Winkelmann said his company had a lot to thank Arnold Schroven for, adding that he was pleased his former chief would remain on the Supervisory Board.
“He has shaped the development of DPD for many years into one of the leading parcel service providers in Europe,” he said. “With his experience and knowledge of the industry, he will provide valuable work at the corporate level and promote important international projects for DPD and GeoPost.”