DPDgroup mourns its CEO Boris Winkelmann

The international parcel and express service DPD mourns its central leadership figure: Boris Winkelmann, CEO of the international DPDgroup, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of only 51 in his hometown of Hamburg on the evening of December 15. Boris Winkelmann had been with DPD since 2014.

(Paris/Aschaffenburg) Boris Winkelmann had been at the helm of the international parcel network of the French La Poste as CEO of GeoPost/DPDgroup since June 2020. In this role, he was also a member of the Executive Board of La Poste. Previously, Boris Winkelmann served as CEO of DPD Germany for almost six years.

Philippe Wahl, Chairman and CEO of Le Groupe La Poste: “Boris Winkelmann left a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of meeting him with his positive and inspiring energy, his approachable and empathetic nature, his insatiable curiosity, and his contagious enthusiasm. Our thoughts are with his wife, his daughters, and his entire family, to whom we extend our deepest condolences in this terrible tragedy.”

Under Boris Winkelmann’s leadership, DPDgroup continued its successful growth trajectory and accelerated the international expansion of the group, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. Additionally, he drove the transformation of DPDgroup into the most sustainable parcel service in Europe and was committed to low-emission and climate-friendly parcel delivery.

Boris Winkelmann was CEO of DPD Germany from 2014 to 2020. His successor Eric Malitzke stated: “Boris Winkelmann will be missed as an outstanding leader who shaped DPD in Germany and beyond like few others. Above all, however, we lose a fine, warm-hearted, and humorous person who became a friend to many of us.”

Unified into a cohesive company

During his tenure as CEO of DPD Germany, Boris Winkelmann transformed DPD from a pure B2B specialist into a digital innovation leader and an important player in the fast-growing B2C market. He also unified the parcel service, which had been structured into different parts with several companies in its home market of Germany since its founding, into a nationwide cohesive company.

Boris Winkelmann had over 25 years of experience in the parcel and express market. He began his career in 1994 at TNT Express Worldwide, where he held various management positions before moving to the La Poste subsidiary GeoPost in 1999. He coordinated the acquisition of a majority stake in DPD in Germany until its completion in 2001 and was also involved in the international development of GeoPost.

Subsequently, Winkelmann co-founded LetMeShip, an online shipping service, CEP-Research, an information and market research service, and ITA Consulting, an M&A consulting service.

Many international stations

Boris Winkelmann’s personal and professional career included many international stations and intercultural influences. As the son of a Spanish mother and a German father, he grew up in Toulouse, France, and completed his studies in Bordeaux, Münster, and Madrid. He was fluent in French, Spanish, English, and German and always saw himself as a mediator between the various cultures in the DPD family.

Photo: © DPD