• The logistics veteran brings four decades of DHL experience to the key role in the South Pacific

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach^[1] - 1 December 2020 - As the business in DHL Global Forwarding New Zealand and Fiji continue on its growth trajectory, the freight specialist of the Deutsche Post DHL Group officially appoints Zane Morton as Managing Director for these two countries in the South Pacific effective today. Having built an illustrious career with the Group spanning almost four decades, Morton will lead the operations in New Zealand and oversee the growth of the business in Fiji, managed by Country Manager Ray Viegas, who will report to him.

"Across his many different roles and responsibilities, Zane has proven himself to be a respected leader, who is customer-oriented in his outlook and finely attuned to developments in the logistics and freight forwarding industry. We are confident he will help our businesses in New Zealand and Fiji reach greater heights amidst the current challenging microenvironment and augment existing synergies between our operations in New Zealand and Fiji," said Charles Kaufmann, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding North Asia South Pacific.

New Zealand's exports grew 58.6%^[2] in the last decade between 2009 and 2019. DHL Global Forwarding is optimistic about the growth potential in the market and considers perishables, life sciences and healthcare, amongst others, as promising areas that the company would further develop.

Reporting to Kaufmann in this new role, Morton said, "I'm acutely aware that I'm taking on the role at a very interesting time. In the short term, the industry will face a massive undertaking of delivering an unprecedented volume of more than 10 billion doses of vaccines^[3] worldwide; at the same time, DHL Global Forwarding is undergoing a digital transformation with the rollout of myDHLi^[4] in accordance to the Group's Strategy 2025^[5] to futureproof the organization and improve operational excellence in the long term. I am excited to lead the teams in New Zealand and Fiji to take on these challenges and leverage the opportunities to bring the business to greater heights."

DHL recently published a white paper^[6] on securing a stable supply chain for vaccines and medical goods during health crises and how the transport of vaccines as a highly temperature-sensitive product can be managed effectively to combat the further spread of the COVID-19 virus. The global logistics leader has been serving the life science and healthcare sector for over 20 years, shipping all sorts of pharmaceutical and medical-related products, including vaccines and therapeutics, worldwide.

Morton first joined DHL in New Zealand in 1983 and held various positions during his career, including Operations Management, Country Sales & Marketing Manager, Country Ocean Freight Manager and Wellington Branch Manager. In 2006, he relocated to Dubai where he was the Regional Marketing and Sales Manager for DHL Middle East and Africa for DHL Global Forwarding. He returned to New Zealand in 2011 and was appointed Head of Ocean Freight in 2012, and subsequently named Head of Sales in 2015.

Note to editors:

The New Zealand- Europe FTA represents an opportunity to gain better access to the bloc's almost 500 million consumers through lower tariffs, and new multi-modal shipping options could also lead to even more savings for importers. Read more on DHL's Logistics of Things. ^[7]

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} 58.6% (trendeconomy.com)
3. ^{^} vaccines (www.dhl.com)
4. ^{^} myDHLi (www.dpdhl.com)
5. ^{^} Strategy 2025 (www.dpdhl.com)
6. ^{^} white paper (www.dhl.com)
7. ^{^} Read more (lot.dhl.com)