DHL Global Customer Solutions awarded for strategic account management excellence

DHL, the world's leading logistics company, today announced that its Global Customer Solutions (GCS) organization has received two awards from the Strategic Account Management Association (SAMA) at its 45th annual conference in Hollywood, Florida, U.S. - GCS was conferred the Program of the Year and Hans Hickler, CEO of GCS, as the Executive of the Year.

The annual SAMA awards honor organizations that have delivered quantifiable and exceptional business value to their customers through strategic customer relationship management. Honorees are nominated by SAMA's membership, many of whom are top-level strategic account management executives from Fortune 500 companies. Winners are chosen by SAMA's Board of Directors.

Five years in the making, with its GCS organization, DHL is uniquely positioned as the only logistics company in the world that faces the customer with a team to provide a complete logistics portfolio of solutions, leveraging on DHL's expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, and contract logistics to fully address the complex requirements of many customers.

"Truly impressive achievements"

GCS has been recognized by the industry for its role as a global trade facilitator and proven track record of designing and deploying tailored solutions to the group's largest 100 customers.

GCS also provides a unique service for customers built on the cornerstones of its Executive Sponsorship Program, designed to create customer touch points at all levels of the organization; driving excellence through Consistent Processes and Constant Improvement, which allows presentment of consistent services to customers globally; and by creating Innovation and Solutions Orientation through a team of specialists in Supply Chain design, IT and Operations, with the aim to make solutions scalable and replicable for our customers needs.

"The achievements of DHL GCS through the Global Account Management program have been truly impressive. GCS is at the forefront of customer service and relationship management with their practice of providing strategic consult and customized solutions that help to strengthen and grow their customers' businesses," said Bernard Quancard, president and CEO, SAMA.

"SAMA's honor is a great compliment. DHL Global Customer Solutions' unique value proposition is that its suite of products is tailored to provide complete supply chain solutions to help our customers achieve synergy," said Hans Hickler, CEO, GCS and recipient of SAMA's Executive of the Year award. "In today's current economic landscape, it is increasingly critical that we partner with customers to craft solutions that are truly customer-driven; unique, yet replicable and that benefit our customers by ultimately strengthening their businesses and market position."

The Strategic Account Management Association (SAMA) is a non-profit knowledge-sharing organization devoted to developing, promoting and advancing the concept of customer supplier collaboration through communities of practice. SAMA is dedicated to the professional development of the individuals and companies involved in the process of managing national, global and strategic customer relationships, and to enabling members to create greater customer value and achieve competitive advantage accordingly. For more information, please go to https://www.strategicaccounts.org.

Past SAMA winners include Xerox (2008), Schneider Electric (2007) and Cisco Systems (2006).