Logistics Stories

From playing sport in his youth, Tristan knew that he excelled within team environments.

Once he had completed his A-Levels he began to look for roles that might suit him. Logistics wasn’t an obvious choice, but once he found it, it was all systems go:

“Originally I joined DHL through a temp agency. Since then I have networked well to understand available opportunities within our business.”

Tristan enjoyed building relationships with clients, and the challenge of delivering against complex contracts – something typified by his career highlight on a project at London Heathrow Airport:

“After working to solve our operational challenges, I worked with our customer to support them with theirs. We ended up tendering for the full contract, which saw the revenue grow from £5m to £23m.”

Millie is on a management graduate scheme where she is learning key management skills around the business in various teams. Her focuses are people and project management with different focuses in each rotation. She is currently in a role in sponsorship within marketing at DHL where she works with our partners on various projects, for example The Residence, a member’s club at the O2 where we host some of our customers. The job required a 2:2 or above in an undergraduate degree.

Millie learned about this role via recommendation from a friend of a friend who was about to begin the DHL supply chain graduate scheme.

She had a broad range of experiences, ranging from jobs in insurance to the world of luxury travel PR. Alongside this she has done a lot of travelling across South America and Southeast Asia. This has majorly developed her adaptability, flexibility and versatility as she faces new challenges every day.

“The logistics industry is dynamic, with constant changes in demand, regulations, and technology – therefore these skills are vital. Unexpected challenges often arise in logistics, such as delays, disruptions, or changes in demand.”

The independence you gain from managing your own projects – creative and otherwise. Is what Millie loves about her role. Her most memorable achievement so far has been working with Harlequins and supporting on the DHL activations at the games.

Tyrone saw logistics as a sector that could offer him not just a job but a career – with prospects and opportunities for the future. 

As a Warehouse Manager at DHL his ambitions have been stoked and he’s been able to target further professional progression.

‘Since I’ve been at DHL I’ve been on a steady incline in terms of roles, working my way through various development checkpoints.”

In line with his professional development, he’s already targeting future roles to work towards.

“I want to progress and develop further into roles like senior operations manager, or site leader, or similar, and increase my influence and impact at the company.” 

Tyrone’s current role isn’t just a stepping stone though; he’s passionate about what he does and the people he works with:

“When I come to work I care about my job, and I care about what I do, and I love that the people around me also care about what they are here to achieve and the successes we may have.

We win together and we lose together.”

As a Talent Manager, Hannah is responsible for the design, implementation and management of development programmes and emerging talent strategies for DHL Express UK.

Her responsibilities are varied, encompassing internal development programmes for existing employees, graduate development programmes and apprenticeships.

Not only that, but Hannah is also responsible for DHL’s educational outreach strategy, which is aimed at engaging, educating and inspiring young people about the logistics industry and the opportunities it can offer them, all whilst supporting them with workshops designed to expand and broaden their employability skills.

When asked how she found her role, Hannah credits the qualifications she’s gained through experience, with 15 years of working in recruitment focused roles under her belt, and having initially joined DHL as a Recruitment Manager in 2018.

“My passion for emerging talent and supporting people to reach their full potential is what drives me. My role truly gives me the opportunity to make a difference to a wide variety of people at different points within their career.”

The variety of her role is a highlight for Hannah, giving her the opportunity to utilise and develop her skills on an ongoing basis. Her ability to think outside of the box to solve challenges and to work under pressure, thriving in a fast-paced industry like logistics, is what makes her tick.

“Also, the ability to communicate with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds, roles and skillsets in order to make a positive impact. I’m resilient, I can recognise that things don’t always go to plan, but with hard work and perseverance there can always be a positive outcome from any form of adversity.”

Hannah is proud to have recently launched DHL’s Graduate Development Programme, providing full-time placements for all graduates within the business, all of whom remain employed by DHL and are continuing to develop their careers.

Gurkiran left school at 18, with GCSEs and A-levels. She headed to university to study teaching, but after her first year decided it wasn’t the career she was looking for. She set out on a search to find something she enjoyed and gave her the job satisfaction she wanted.

After finding her role at DHL, which allows her to not only work but also study for an apprenticeship as she goes, she’s keen to stress that logistics, and specifically Operations, might be more than meets the eye.

“I cannot stress enough that operations isn’t a scary world, it’s just different to the office world, but it is equally as challenging and fun. It’s not just made for those who don’t want to study, it’s made for everyone!”

Speaking honestly, Gurkiran admits that she went into her role thinking logistics, and linehaul, were just trucks and trailers, but she quickly found out that there’s a lot more to it than that.

“My apprenticeship and job combined teaches me life skills that no university could have: communication, honesty and teamwork. And throughout my time at DHL, they’ve been the three pillars to push me further in my career, and within my team.”

Gurkiran worked part time in the Network Control Group for three years, working across various projects, and in the central departing and arriving of material operation for the Ops team. She then took an opportunity to move into the Linehaul team to be the AM Operations Supervisor, growing her knowledge of Linehaul, and the world of trucks and trailers. Despite feeling a little intimidated at first, she quickly found her feet.

“I opened my eyes to a whole new world of working, and a new working environment which I found so enjoyable on a day-to-day basis, especially in seasonal peak periods.”

She completed her apprenticeship during her time as a supervisor, and it boosted her confidence knowing she had developed the skills to be the best manager she could be.
She channeled her elevated confidence into her application for the AM Transport Manager role which she’s been succeeding in, and loving, ever since.

“DHL is such a big company and I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to learn about the operational business on a large scale. One of my best achievements has been gaining my apprenticeship qualification in Level 5 Operations / Departmental Manager, which has equipped me to do the job I am doing, and prepare me for future managerial roles within the business.”

Amy is a graduate on the DHL Express Leadership Development Scheme. She is currently in HR but will be moving round 4 different departments over my 2 years. A minimum of a 2:1 in any university degree is required for this role. Amy has a first-class degree in Criminology.

Amy applied for her job on the Prospects website. She has always been interested in applying for Graduate Schemes as they give you the flexibility to try many different departments, that typically a normal job would not offer. Amy did not know what she wanted to do, so the graduate scheme gave her the opportunity to experience different aspects of the company before deciding how she would like her career to progress.

Amy has learnt through life experience’s how to be adaptable, a skill that is crucial in the logistics industry.

“You never know what the day is going to bring or the challenges you may face so it essential that you can adapt to all situations that may arise.”

The best thing about Amy’s role is the incredible opportunity it offers to move seamlessly across different departments and collaborate with a diverse range of talented individuals. She is very privileged to be able to meet so many talented people and learn so many new skills every day.

Although Amy have not been with DHL long, she has so many Career highlights. Most recently she was a part of fundraising within the business for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust. We carried many events all in the hopes to raise as much money as possible, for a charity very close to our heart. Amy is very proud of our efforts, raising just under £3,000.

Although this is not part of her everyday job, it was an opportunity to give back and be a part of something very special. She is very proud of the team.

Liam started working in logistics at 18, but at that point he wasn’t thinking about it as a possible career.

“I just wanted to earn some extra money during college, but then I quickly saw the opportunities at DHL.”

He regularly put himself forward for more hours, and as he did so it was given more tasks and more responsibilities – to the point he realised he was already building a career in the role. From there, things moved quickly.

“I completed various roles in different departments, and even though I’ve been here at DHL for years, I’ve never stopped learning along the way.”

In his current role, Liam manages a Service Centre, which he attributes to hard work, and having the vision to see the opportunity and job satisfaction ahead of him.

“Logistics is fast-paced and you need to work hard, but you can really feel the reward when you help solve other people’s problems. It’s also really interesting to see some of the important shipments we have to get around the world, from life-saving equipment to high value bank documents.”

In 2016, aged just 21, Liam won the ‘Employee of the Year’ award and was taken to Venice for an all expense paid trip as a reward for his hard work and commitment.

Meg was looking to strike a balance between continuing her studies, and getting hands-on experience in the workplace. Having initially planned doing English at University, she changed tack when she realised that a logistics degree apprenticeship with the DHL renewals excellence team would offer her the combination she wanted.

“My line manager Kelly is extremely supportive and together we try to align my studies to my practice, so that it becomes more relevant. I’m studying for a business management degree and I’ve found modules like economics and leadership really useful in the workplace.”

Her role is all about driving efficiencies across the DHL network, but for Meg the best bit is the support she gets from those she works with.

“I’m getting a degree I’m interested in, workplace experience and a good wage at the same time. And on top of that I get to work with a team that are incredible and have done nothing but support me since the day I started.

“I feel like DHL is really invested in young people.”

Luke started DHL as an Apprentice Operations Agent in BRS SVC. He was one of the first apprentices in Operations. After successful completion of his apprenticeship, He continued employment at DHL as Operations Agent. Luke then moved into Sales as Sales Admin Support; he was then shortly promoted to Mobile Customer Support Advisor. Luke then took up a secondment as a Tender Manager and has recently returned as Mobile Customer Support Advisor.

“Logistics is an interesting industry to work in and no day is the same. The opportunity to progress and develop new skills in DHL is endless.”

Being promoted as a Tender Manager on a secondment basis and enrolling a successful project for Sales, ‘Account Manager Pack’ was a big step in his career. This allowed him to develop his skills and confidence. Luke is going to be enrolled out as a BDP across Europe.

In his role at DHL, Harry supports both the Midlands & Northern regions with Service Performance. Since taking up the position, he’s found that the skills he’d previously developed at school and university were applicable and easily transferable to logistics, with such a wide range of opportunities all under the same company roof.

“Logistics is vast – and far more than simply vehicles moving.”

After graduating from the University of Sheffield, Harry applied for, and was successful in, securing a place on the DHL Express Graduation Programme. The scheme has a wide scope, with eight months of rotation around different departments, providing a comprehensive grounding in all things logistics, with the aim of giving a thorough understanding of all aspects of the business.

Starting in Continuous Improvement, Harry moved on to Frontline Operations, giving him experience in both field and network ops. There was flexibility in choosing his third placement, so Harry chose Ops Performance, combining his newly acquired frontline knowledge with the analytical skills he picked up in his first placement. This third rotation quickly led to a full time position in Ops Performance as a Field Support Manager.

But just because he’s completed the Graduate Scheme doesn’t mean that Harry’s opportunities to learn are over. He recently secured a position on the Gen Next Programme – 18 months of development to support him in bridging any gaps in his logistics knowledge, covering areas such as HR Training, Finance and Productivity.

Speaking on the opportunities he’s been given to learn as he works, Harry’s thankful for the pathways that working in logistics has uncovered for him, leading him to new areas of expertise to help him continue to grow and expand his skill set.