DHL Express has named two new top managers to try to turn around its loss-making French business.These are the first senior managerial changes since the appointment of Scott Price as head of DHL
Express in Europe in July.Klaus Pfab took up the post of country manager in France on October 1 on an interim basis andreports directly to Price. The former incumbent Stéphane Corthier has left the company, DHL Francesaid.
No reason for the change was announced but DHL Express top executives have said on severaloccasions over the past few years that the French business is in the red. DHL Express Global CEOJohn Mullen told CEP-Research in March 2007 that he expected the financial turnaround in France tolast until 2008, describing it as “a long, slow road”.
Pfab was previously director general for DHL Global Forwarding for the France/Benelux regionand has held a number of responsibilities for the DHL group in France since joining Danzas in 1971.
Corthier was named head of DHL Express France in March 2006 in place of Olivier Diehl wholeft the company. Corthier, who joined the group from Exapaq in 2001, had been commercial andmarketing manager since 2003.
In a parallel appointment, Philippe Prétat has taken up the post of financial director forDHL Express France. The 44-year-old was previously administration and financial director forcomputer group SCH, and has 20 years experience of financial management with companies such asNestlé and Microsoft, DHL France said.
In July, Patrick Aguirregaviria took over the post of head of parcels for DHL Express France.Formerly marketing director for the operator, he was given the task of relaunching DHL’s domesticparcels business, based around improved utilisation of the fleet, adapting production to changingmarket demands and also growing the international parcels business.
