‘Nobody knows Asia like we do’: DHL Group CEO on Singapore as a regional hub for connectivity and innovation

Singapore has been integral to DHL Group's Asia Pacific strategy for more than five decades, serving as both its regional headquarters and operational hub to connect the region to other global markets. DHL, one of the world's largest logistics companies with 584,000 employees across over 220 countries and territories, has made significant investments in its Singapore base. These include its expanded DHL Express South Asia Hub at Changi Airport handling shipments from Asia, the DHL Asia Pacific Innovation Center that develops logistics sector innovations, and the S$14.8 million (€10 million) Pharma Hub, a dedicated facility for pharmaceutical logistics. These commitments reflect Singapore's pivotal role within DHL’s worldwide operations, and its function in facilitating trade across one of the world’s most dynamic economic regions in Asia.

In this exclusive interview, DHL Group CEO Dr. Tobias Meyer shares why Singapore occupies a unique position in global logistics, the company's innovation initiatives in the city-state, and the reasons why Singapore consistently ranks first in DHL's Global Connectedness Report.

What role does Singapore play in DHL's global strategy?

Singapore serves three functions for DHL, which makes it uniquely valuable to our global network. First, we have our regional headquarters functions here for the Asia-Pacific region, covering the administrative and managerial side of our operations. Second, we operate very localised services for the Singapore market itself, helping small and medium enterprises warehouse and export their goods and serve domestic customers. Third - and perhaps most importantly - Singapore functions as our regional distribution hub where many customers leverage the country's ease of doing business, excellent customs regime, and free trade zone status to distribute cargo throughout the region.

We have a specific focus on 20 geographies that we call "Global Trade" markets, where trade is advancing due to geostrategic changes and Asia Pacific is one such region that continues to be very important for DHL. Next to Europe, we consider it our second home. There is truth to one of our old advertising taglines: "Nobody knows Asia like we do." The Southeast Asia region has a growing population and consumer base, and Singapore is very central to that growth. We want to continue connecting Asian customers to the rest of the world and facilitate trade within Asia, which we believe will bring great benefit to regional development.
 

What factors have helped Singapore rank first in DHL's annual Global Connectedness Report since 2016?

The DHL Global Connectedness Report measures different types of connectivity across multiple dimensions. Singapore scores very highly on physical connectivity – it has great air transport connections through Changi Airport and serves as a major maritime hub, as it has for many decades. But we also measure connectivity in terms of freedom of movement for people, the ability to build a career here, as well as information and financial flows. Singapore performs exceptionally well across all these dimensions. This comprehensive strength continues to make it the number one place globally for connectedness.

What are the key trends shaping DHL’s innovation and future growth strategy in Singapore?

Life sciences and healthcare represent a key strategic focus for DHL because we see this as a growing sector with technological advances of great importance for mankind. Our Pharma Hub, a dedicated facility for pharmaceutical logistics launched in 2025, addresses the critical need for cold chain logistics. This is crucial since modern pharmaceuticals, particularly in the biologics space, are sensitive to temperature. They need precise and consistent temperature control at typically two to eight degrees Celsius, with some samples requiring frozen temperatures. We have seen strong demand with the first facility already at capacity, so we are looking towards establishing a second one.

Autonomous vehicles and robots represent another important trend for logistics, especially given that DHL employs 584,000 people worldwide. Our aim is to alleviate physically hard and repetitive work through the many robots already deployed in our facilities for intralogistics. Now we are also expanding beyond the warehouse. Here in Singapore, we have autonomous vehicles shuttling between our facilities transporting goods – you can see this technology in action around our warehouses at Tampines Logistics Park. This is an area that DHL will continue to explore and prioritise.

At DHL, we are also taking a focused approach to AI. Rather than developing general-purpose models, we concentrate on areas where we can add unique value, especially in processes that matter most to our operations and customers. We leave broad model development to companies with the scale and expertise to do so, and instead invest our time in targeted, high-impact applications. One example of this is agentic AI tools that we have developed for customs clearance that can look up relevant regulations and document the reasoning for classification decisions.

Sustainability, especially through the decarbonisation of logistics and international transportation, is very important to DHL. We need to physically reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That requires us to burn less fossil fuels and create less carbon dioxide, and we continue to do that in multiple ways. First, we have taken great strides to electrify our transportation fleet. We operate the largest fleet of electric vehicles in Europe, and we also electrify our fleet here in Singapore within the Asia Pacific region. Second, we play a strong role in promoting sustainable aviation – we are the number one airline in the world when it comes to using sustainable aviation fuels. While these fuels are currently derived from biological sources, we are also working intensively with our suppliers to find new feedstocks so that we can produce more sustainable aviation fuels for the decades to come. 

How does Singapore's talent ecosystem and business environment support DHL's growth ambitions?

Singapore appeals to global talent because it offers a high quality of life – it is a green and healthy city with top-tier educational and healthcare systems. The country’s good physical security is also very much valued, since this is not a given in many geographies. These factors matter to people who have choices about where they want to live. Singapore is also very open to international expertise while maintaining a cohesive, inclusive society, which makes it attractive for both skilled professionals and global companies.

Singapore also offers a high-quality talent pool through its excellent schools and strong work culture. The presence of other logistics companies and many customers with significant operations here also fosters a rich talent ecosystem that DHL can tap into effectively.

For local talent development, we continue to collaborate with the Singapore authorities to upskill our workers and ensure local employment. We operate DHL-specific "Certified" programmes, where learners can earn qualifications documented in a passport system that tracks various levels of certifications and courses completed. We also work with EDB and other local institutions to upskill our workforce in specific technologies like data science and AI, to ensure we have the right capabilities to tackle future opportunities.

What are DHL's expansion plans in the region and what role will Singapore play

At DHL, we connect people and improve lives. That is our mission and we still believe in the benefits of global trade. Singapore will continue to be very important for developing our business in Asia Pacific as our central regional hub and headquarters. It serves as the base for not only our operations, but also many of our customers who have regional distribution structures here. We are part of Singapore's innovation ecosystem, working with multinational and local companies to develop robotics, sortation technology and software, and AI-oriented applications in the logistics sector.

Singapore will also have a stronger role in pharmaceuticals, life sciences, and healthcare generally, because it serves as a central distribution point for these sectors. This applies not only to cold chain pharmaceuticals but also to medical devices, which represent a growing area of great importance and benefit to many people.

The most important factor for regional resilience is the good relationships between nations that ASEAN has built over recent decades. Looking ahead, we anticipate continued investment in the region as Southeast Asia represents a growing population and supply base, with diversifying supply chains. Singapore's role as a reliable hub with strong legal systems and business-friendly policies positions it well to play a strong role, in a world that will continue to have volatilities and shifts in economic activities and trade routes.