DHL appoints new chiefs for Americas divisions

Promotions cover Global Forwarding, eCommerce and Supply Chain

DHL is the second largest third-party logistics provider in the world by revenue. (Photo: DHL Group)

Key Takeaways:

  • DHL Global Forwarding appointed Michael Young as the new CEO for the United States, replacing Robert Reiter.
  • Scott Ashbaugh was promoted to CEO of DHL eCommerce Americas, succeeding Lee Spratt upon his retirement.
  • Mark Kunar became the new CEO of DHL Supply Chain North America, taking over from Patrick Kelleher.
  • The leadership changes affect DHL's Global Forwarding, eCommerce, and Supply Chain divisions in the Americas.

German parcel and logistics giant DHL has revamped its Americas region leadership team overseeing the Global Forwarding, Supply Chain and eCommerce divisions.

On Wednesday, DHL Global Forwarding notified customers that Michael Young will assume the role of CEO for the United States, effective Aug. 1. He will replace Robert Reiter, who is preparing to leave the company to move abroad and explore other professional opportunities.

Young currently serves as CEO of Global Forwarding for the United Kingdom and Ireland, and president of Global Motorsports. He has more than 30 years of experience within DHL Global Forwarding, having held senior commercial and leadership roles across the organization at the country, regional, and global levels. 

During his tenure as CEO for the UK and Ireland he guided the organization through major macroeconomic challenges, including the Brexit transition. In his concurrent role as head of Global Motorsports, he has been instrumental in strengthening DHL’s long-standing partnership with Formula 1, according to the company. 

The company separately announced this week that Scott Ashbaugh has been promoted from chief commercial officer to CEO for DHL eCommerce Americas, in response to the scheduled retirement of Lee Spratt at the end of the year. He will be based at Americas headquarters in Weston, Florida. 

Ashbaugh has held various leadership roles during his 16 years at DHL. Before transitioning to the revenue side as chief commercial officer, he spent more than decade overseeing operations across both the domestic and international networks.  He has extensive knowledge of DHL’s delivery systems and the e-commerce environment, DHL said. 

“I’m very pleased to have Scott at the helm of our Americas operations, a market of strategic importance for our customers and the growing e-commerce sector,” said Pablo Ciano, CEO of DHL eCommerce, in a news release. “Scott has been a vital contributor to our success, and I am confident he will effectively lead our division’s growth strategy while empowering our talented leaders and employees to deliver reliable, affordable and sustainable services to our customers.”

On June 20, DHL Group announced the immediate promotion of Mark Kunar to CEO of DHL Supply Chain North America to replace Patrick Kelleher, who resigned. Keller only held the job for one year. Kunar previously was CFO and chief strategy officer for the regional business unit. 

“Mark’s broad supply chain and management expertise, paired with his proven commercial acumen and his balanced leadership style makes him the ideal candidate to take our business into the future in this key market. His leadership will be instrumental in guiding DHL Supply Chain North America as we continue to focus on excellence and innovation in our operations,” said Oscar de Bok, CEO of DHL Supply Chain. 

Kunar is responsible for managing the business across the United States and Canada, leading a workforce of 52,000 associates. He said his immediate focus is to smoothly integrate newly acquired businesses, such as Inmar Supply Chain Solutions, IDS Fulfillment and Tennessee-based CryoPDP, a specialty courier serving the pharmaceutical industry. 

Kunar joined DHL Supply Chain in 1996 as a financial analyst and has since held various operational, finance, commercial and functional management positions. He became CFO and chief strategy officer in 2024.

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com