LNME Power 25 CEOs 2020: Nour Suliman, CEO of DHL Express Middle East and North Africa, Ranks 2nd

Logistics News returns once again with a comprehensive list of the Power 25 logistics leaders in the Middle East

Ranking 2

Nour Suliman is the CEO of DHL Express Middle East and North Africa. In his current capacity as CEO, he oversees DHL’s operations across 19 markets and leads a strong team of 5700 employees. Mr. Suliman has been with DHL for 41 years and has held the position of CEO for the last 9 years. He was previously the Country Manager for DHL Express Saudi Arabia where, under his leadership, the office consistently achieved stellar performance. He also managed the business in Bahrain for eight years and prior to that held various managerial roles across multiple DHL Express functions and departments including Customer Service, Sales and Marketing, and Commercial, across other regional countries including UAE and Cairo.

Over the past 12 months E-Commerce has been a key driver for DHL and this has resulted in DHL increasing their capacity and enhancing their network to meet the demand. Nour told LNME: “We have been investing in adding air capacity to enhance our network and better our capabilities to service high demand destinations with greater speed, reliability and efficiency. We have been upgrading our MENA airplanes and adding more intra-regional and intercontinental routes, connections and flights to our portfolio to support the growing logistics needs of our clients.”

Nour added: “Simultaneously, we have continued to expand our facilities to accommodate growth and the space needed for more shipment inflow. The most recent milestones have been the opening of our newly built US$30.5 million logistics facility in Dhahran, DHL’s fourth infrastructure investment in KSA in the past 4 years; as well as our newest, state-of-the-art logistics facility and country office in Amman at an investment size of US$ 5.8 Million.”

2020 has been a unique year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but this hasn’t affected Nour’s leadership and has maintained that even prior to the pandemic it was his duty to ensure the safety and the wellbeing of the staff were being maintained.
“We put their health on the same priority list as business continuity because their mental and physical state was critical to us maintaining optimum levels of service. We were transparent and proactive in ensuring all staff stay safe, informed, and well prepared to tackle any scenario. We definitely had to make adjustments to our business processes to reduce risk of staff exposure and mitigate possible effects, but I have to say that our teams have done an outstanding job staying close to our clients, communicating regularly, and providing necessary advisory and support to facilitate their logistics needs.”

Nour concluded: “Leaders must trust in the experience and knowledge of their team members and empower them with the confidence and means to perform their roles to the best of their ability. They should encourage staff participation and the exchange of ideas; and it is imperative to recognise and reward talent, hard work and loyalty.”