Stefan Paul to take the helm at Kuehne+Nagel International next year

A major management restructuring at Kuehne+Nagel will see Stefan Paul (pictured), head of the company’s road logistics and sales, promoted to chief executive from August next year.

The current chief executive, Dr Detlef Trefzger, will step down for “private reasons” on 1 August next year and be appointed to the board, following his “successful nine-year leadership”, the company added.

Paul started his career at Kuehne+Nagel in 1990 as a sales executive in the company’s sea freight division in Munich.

In 1997 he left to join DHL where he held a variety of management positions, including a 14-month stint, from December 2005, at DHL’s offices in Bracknell where he held the role of senior vice president of global marketing and customer management.

He went back to Germany in 2007 to take up the role of senior vice president of marketing and sales at DHL Freight, rising to the role of chief executive in 2010.

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In 2013, Paul returned to Kuehne+Nagel, where he assumed responsibility for all road logistics activities and later global sales, playing a key role in expanding and globalising the business, and increasing profitability, according to the logistics company.

Dr Joerg Wolle, chairman of the board of directors at Kuehne+Nagel International, said: "One of Kuehne+Nagel's principles is long-term company development, which includes, above all, succession planning for management positions.

“In view of the company’s very successful performance, the focus thereby lies on ensuring continuity. With the appointment of Stefan Paul as CEO, the global strategy and corporate culture will be sustained.

“The board of directors has held Stefan Paul in high esteem for many years and considers him to be an outstanding leader for the company’s future. Hence, we are pleased having been able to appoint this crucial position from inside of our top management.

“We would like to take the opportunity to thank Dr Trefzger for his leadership over the past years. Together with his management team, he has succeeded in developing Kuehne+Nagel, achieving excellent results. This deserves the special recognition of the board of directors."