1. DHL employs some 10,000 people
in the Netherlands. Of these,
around 20% are under 35 – the age
group targeted by Young DHL, a network of
people brought into being by employees
from DHL Parcel and DHL Express.
They wanted to create a platform for
young colleagues to network with one
another beyond the boundaries of their
jobs and the towns in which they work.
And they made it a network for all:
couriers and controllers, marketing experts
and HR specialists.
Members of Young DHL can make
contact with colleagues of the same age,
get to know the company better, and
promote their own development through
open exchange. Face-to-face meetings are
held three to four times a year, often with
management representation.
DHL Supply Chain joins the fold
Young DHL recently extended its member-
ship, with DHL Supply Chain (DSC) joining
the fold. “We want to promote talented
young people and benefit from their skills,”
says Maartje Vos, DSC Netherland’s Head of
HR. “Of course, we also want to ensure that
they stay with the company.” At the mid-
year Young DHL get-together, DSC talents
will meet for the first time with peers from all
the divisions located in the Netherlands –
DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, DHL
Express, DHL Parcel, and European Finan-
cial Services (EFFC).
Since its inception in 2011, Young DHL
has become an institution, with each new
employee aged under 35 receiving an invita-
tion to join. When she came up with the idea,
Marjolein van Olst, DHL Parcel, had been
with the company for just six months. Work-
ing with a group of like-minded colleagues,
she put her plan into action. From the outset,
she knew she wanted a cross-divisional
Young DHL: “The more colleagues you meet
from other divisions, the more you learn
about the business.”
Skills needed for future roles
One of the first people to join Young DHL
was Werner Schuring, Head of HR at DHL
Parcel in the Netherlands. He supports the
network in several ways, including with
training. In 2013, he organized a seminar on
management skills. “We want to give our
upcoming managers the skills they will need
to tackle the challenges they will face in
future roles. It’s great to see these young
people engaging so actively in Young DHL,”
he says. “It’s important that we show them
what DPDHL has to offer.”
Intergenerational exchange
One particular highlight at Young DHL is
the chance for exchange with experienced
Next-generation networking
The principle of Respect & Results changed corporate culture at Deutsche Post DHL. One example from the
Netherlands shows just why it remains part of the Group’s new strategy. ‘Young DHL’ is a network for young DHL
employees, and it is making an impact across the business divisions.
Marjolein van Olst (center) had the idea for and founded Young DHL with help from her peers at DHL: Dominic
Maas, Dana de Langen, Maaike Verhoeven and Peter Carlier
» RESPECT & RESULTS
In 2009, Respect & Results was introduced as the
guiding principle of the Group’s Strategy 2015: “We
show Respect without compromising on Results.”
Adopted then as one of five core corporate
management competencies, it remains a key
component of DPDHL’s new Strategy 2020: Focus.
Connect.Grow.
managers. Van Olst recalls a questions and
answers session attended by top managers
from DHL Parcel and DHL Express. “Many
of us don’t have contact with senior
managers in our everyday work. It’s nice to
see that everyone is relaxed, and that
managers at that level are interested in what
we have to say.”
Young employees in the Netherlands
agree that Young DHL fosters a culture of
openness – one based on the Group’s guiding
principle of Respect and Results. Ü
» CONTACT
young.dhl@dhl.com
» AUTHOR
Laura Lehnen
» TRANSLATOR
Carol Stocks
» PHOTOGRAPHER
Patrick Post
STRATEGY 2020 19