Employee testimonials

 

People are at the core of who we are - the drive, talent and devotion they bring to the table every day are what make DSV the exciting place it is. It’s a dynamic and fast-moving environment with rapid decisions at every level – where ambition meets teamwork in an effort to face challenges, succeed, move forward and make a difference.

At DSV, we believe that having a diverse workforce, where employees can realize their potential based on their different individual backgrounds and thought diversity is a significant advantage that we as a company can leverage upon. A diverse workforce in an inclusive culture fosters dynamic workplaces and, ultimately, better business decisions.

Karen Pinedo, Sales Representative, Air & Sea Division

Mexico

The opportunity to develop herself is what first attracted Karen to DSV

During her first interview at the local DSV office, Karen had a very positive first impression of the company: “I had already heard a lot of good things about DSV from people working in the logistics industry. When I had my first interview, I really noticed the nice atmosphere at the office, and it made me feel like I wanted to be part of the team” Karen states. But the opportunity to develop herself professionally and shape her career was ultimately what led Karen to DSV: “I was told that I would learn a lot here, and now I can say that was true. DSV has been my real school, way more than college was. All that I know about logistics is thanks to everything that I have learnt here” Karen comments.

Excellent customer service is crucial in the logistics industry

“At DSV, we are conscious about the difference that good customer service makes, and we know how important it is to treat clients in the best way and give them all the information they need even before they ask us for it” Karen comments. Karen also points out that at DSV she is provided with training in e.g., how to provide an excellent service to the clients. In her daily work, Karen feels that she has an impact on helping clients move what they need to move. “The most interesting things that I help move right now are big machineries to produce technological products that are used by big tech giants like Google and Amazon” she states.

Great teamwork is what helps Karen during challenging days

As a sales representative, Karen has learnt how to handle stressful days by being well organised and multi-tasking. However, it is the team that provides support when she really needs it: “We have lots of work at the office, but there is always someone that makes the situation better by cracking a joke or helping you solve problems. I know that here I am never alone when I face challenges. This has been the same since my first day at the company”.

A fun and inclusive workplace environment are some of the reasons why Karen enjoys working at DSV

The environment at her DSV office is energetic and inclusive. This is one of the reasons why Karen is motivated to stay at DSV. Team building activities are also part of life at DSV and she considers them both fun and meaningful experiences: “Once we went in a forest close to the sea. We did outdoor activities and when it started raining, nobody wanted to leave because we were having so much fun together. I think that experiences like this make the team grow a lot and become even closer” Karen comments.

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Ivy Chan, Vice President, Finance

Singapore

“A career isn’t only about capability. It’s also about fit to the company – and a little bit about luck and timing,” says Ivy Chan, Vice President for Regional Shared Service Centre in APAC, about her journey from controller to Vice President, adding  “and saying YES to every opportunity you’re given!”

Do your best with every opportunity 

Talking about her career and moving up the corporate ladder, Ivy’s promotions have a common denominator: She was the youngest person chosen for the role in question.

“Being the youngest and often the only female in a room of leaders, I had to find the confidence to speak up for myself and demand my ground”, Ivy recalls and adds “Luckily, I’ve always had a good boss and someone I consider a mentor that could help me find my voice as a manager and leader. That has been very important to me.”  

With Ivy’s track record, it could seem like she had her eyes set on a specific goal from the beginning of her career, but that is not the case. “I didn’t have a set ambition, but I did my best with every opportunity I was given. I always do,” Ivy underlines

Joining DSV through an acquisition

Ivy’s career brought her to DSV in 2019, when Panalpina and DSV joined forces. Looking back, it was an uncertain time for Ivy: 

“When the acquisition was announced, I didn’t know if I’d still have a job. It was worrying, but I promised myself I’d do my very best DSV.” And her dedication and efforts secured Ivy a role as regional CFO for the APAC region.

“When I was offered the job, my new manager told me I would be offered a major role in designing my future job. It felt great to be acknowledged for my hard work and I immediately said yes” Ivy underlines and tells about her time at DSV: “It’s been a great journey and I learn something new every day at DSV. There have been challenges along the way, but my manager always has complete faith in me, and reassures me we are on the right path.”

To Ivy, the right path is never predictable. “Although I’m accounting trained and many people think we like to do the same thing every day, that is not the case for me. New and different are aspects I find very exciting.”

Listen and trust 

In her daily work, Ivy is a leader to many people. It is important to her that everyone feels trusted and empowered to make decisions. That’s part of the DSV culture.

“I always listen carefully to what my employees have to say, and I trust in their abilities. We respect each other and although we sometimes disagree, we always focus on solving the task at hand. And that is key,” Ivy says and explains 

“DSV’s company structure it set up in a way where we always prioritise helping each other to solve issues very fast. That’s part of what enables us to keep growing so fast – we see new perspectives and skills as an opportunity to learn more and become even better.” 

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Helen Topete Arreola, Senior HR Specialist, HR

USA 

Helen came to DSV for challenges in an environment with a good work-life balance. She has now held multiple positions in two years.

When Helen Topete Arreola applied for a job at DSV in Fontana, California two years ago, it wasn’t for the HR specialist role she ended up being hired for. But her new manager saw potential, and Helen accepted DSV’s offer. She has now held multiple roles in her two years at the company.

“I’m really glad I took the job. Since I joined DSV, I’ve been constantly learning and developing. I enjoy all parts of my job” says Helen and attributes a lot of that to her leader:

“My leader is amazing. She is constantly teaching me new things and challenging me, and that makes me want to do my best every day. For her, for myself and for DSV.” 

Always improving the status quo 

An additional point, which Helen believes contributes to her development, is the DSV culture of always striving to improve. “There’s a belief here, that we can always do a little better” she explains and elaborates:

“We’re making changes and improvements that make us more efficient. Every idea I bring to the team and my leader is seriously considered as a contribution to developing our area of the business.” 

“That motivates me to help come up with new initiatives. I have gotten the opportunity to do so much and all those things have helped me develop professionally and personally as well,” Helen points out. 

Developing and implementing new initiatives smoothly is helped along by good collaboration across different teams and work functions: 

“We work so well with each other in DSV. No matter the challenge at hand, we work together to find a solution.” 

Growing with the company

“DSV is a pretty awesome company, and I see myself growing here. I’d love to be here long term,” says Helen when asked how she sees her future at DSV. The ambition is clear: 

“I would like to get a position as HR manager. I’ll keep working to improve and advance within the company, and we’ll see where that takes me.”

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Hector Mora, Supervisor, Key Account Management 

Mexico

Hector works as a Supervisor in the Key Accounts department in Guadalajara, Mexico. In his role he works closely with the customers and his team to achieve the set goals: 

“In my day to day job I help solve problems for our customers. We always aim to do the same thing: Offer our clients the best service possible. This is shared across DSV. We work as a team to reach goals and my job is to help my team reach the goals for all of our accounts.”

Having worked in DSV since 2016, where he started as a trainee, Hector enjoys the drive within the company:  

“It is really interesting to work in a company that is always looking to evolve and grow. This fits in well with my personal values.  For me, the most important thing is that I feel challenged every day I come into work and DSV gives me that. DSV is a big company and I can learn a lot of and develop here. We get to be creative and inventive… and we are given full responsibility of our area. That is what I like about the company”.

Hector also enjoys the different types of colleagues he has, colleagues that he sees outside of the office too, for drinks and boardgames on a weekly basis:

“I work with people who are just starting out their careers and are eager to learn as well as colleagues with many years of experience – it is interesting to get the mix between experience and fresh eyes. I believe it gives us our own personality as a company. We are pragmatic and we are also looking to be one step ahead of what is happening. I really enjoy this, and I enjoy that we see each other outside of work too”.

The number of employees at the office in downtown Guadalajara has more than doubled since the Panalpina was acquired by DSV in 2019 and the now 70 people in the office is the second largest DSV office in Mexico. However, the atmosphere at the office remains the same: 

“It’s a great place to work. We have a good mix of people and we have DSV people from other countries come and work with us from time to time too. We have many different types of people here, there is room for all types and this mix of different people helps us reach our goals as a team and as a company”.

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Mogens Larsen, Senior Director, Global IT

Denmark

Mogens Larsen is a Senior Director in IT, working out of Headquarters in Hedehusene, Denmark. He has been with DSV for more than 15 years, but started in a completely different part of the organisation than where he works today: 

I joined DSV for the first time as a freight forwarder trainee in 1994 when it was a much smaller company. Since then, I have held a lot of different positions. From freight forwarding I moved onto Sales and later Finance before I finally started working in IT.” 

Although these roles are in very different parts of the business, the DSV culture is the same: 

“In each of these positions, I have been part of an informal culture where people speak their minds. It helps push the business forward, and it’s very characteristic of DSV. We’re constantly moving because we know we can always do a little better. Evolving as a company allows us employees to evolve personally as well. I don’t think I know anyone in DSV who hasn’t evolved while being here.” 

Making a difference is his fuel

Thinking back, Mogens didn’t plan on staying in the company for this many years and did also seek opportunities outside of DSV at one point. However, after a couple of years, he returned:  

“I realised that I really thrive in DSV’s fast-paced culture – the fast decision making within the company. I found that I enjoy being a small wheel in a big machinery, because in DSV, every wheel matters.”

“The feeling of making a difference – that is what drives me. When we announce good financial results, I can see that the things we work to continuously improve can be read in those numbers, and that makes me proud as an employee!”  

Setting each other up for success 

Today, Mogens is part of DSV’s Global IT, comprising more than 1600 employees in total. To him, being part of IT means that you play a vital role in setting the operation up for success: 

“We provide the tools for the operation. It is our job to do the very best we can and ensure good, smooth-running systems that provide everything the forwarders in the operation need, so that they are able to focus on using their skills and expertise to forward goods for our customers. In that way, we all play on the same team and contribute to the constant development of DSV.”  

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Gabriel Lepage, Data & Rate Manager, Pricing - Canada

Canada

Gabriel heads up the pricing team for the Air & Sea division in Milton just outside Toronto in Canada. A role he was given when he joined DSV through acquisition in 2019. 

“I had a specialist role, but in joining DSV I was given the responsibility of managing and integrating a new team. I didn’t have any management experience, so it was a big challenge, but I felt complete trust from DSV in my abilities from day one.” Something Gabriel says is characteristic for the company:
“DSV is a workplace where you are given a lot of responsibility and encouraged to take ownership. The high level of trust in employees is part of the DSV DNA. If you’re like me, you thrive in that; challenging yourself every day to grow and improve with the company.”  

We’re all in it together

When explaining how he found his way in the new role, Gabriel emphasizes one thing in particular: “I had great role models to learn from”, he says and elaborates:  
“They showed me that in DSV, regardless of your position, there’s someone you can reach out to, and you have the freedom to make mistakes and to use them as a learning experience. That’s how we improve.” 

An inspiring workplace 

Canada is a very international and diverse country, and that’s reflected in DSV and in Gabriel’s team. 

“We have five different nationalities just within my team of ten people. With our different backgrounds both in terms of occupation and nationality, we each contribute with different perspectives on our work processes, and that makes us better all around. It increases understanding to the many different people we work with in international transport, and there’s always someone with a different take on a subject if you need help.”  
Gabriel contributes to the international atmosphere in the office. He is from Venezuela and worked out of Panama prior to moving to Toronto. He travelled across Middle and South America and views travelling as a big opportunity:

“Travelling is also a way of challenging yourself, and I learned a lot from seeing different parts of the world. Who knows, perhaps I’ll get to challenge myself in a different part of the DSV world someday. 
DSV is inspiring to be a part of, and I’m amazed by the competence of my colleagues. It’s very cool to experience that by DSV investing in my personal development and career, I have invested in forwarding DSV.”

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Mergim, Senior Freight Forwarder, Road Division

Sweden

26-year-old Mergim works as a Freight Forwarder Trainee in DSV’s Road division at the Swedish head office in Landskrona.
At DSV Mergim has found an educational setup and organisational culture that enables him to pursue his dreams for the future – perhaps even abroad one day: 

DSV could fulfill Mergim’s ambitions for his career

Before he began his work with DSV, Mergim was no stranger to the world of logistics. For a period of time Mergim worked at another Danish logistics company, but here they weren’t able to fulfill Mergim’s dream of building a career within transportation: “I wanted to progress with my career, but at my previous job making a career for myself was not an option. So, I had to move on, and I saw DSV was looking for Young DSV trainees, offering the opportunity to get an education at the same time as working full time. Not that many companies in Sweden can offer you such an opportunity so naturally I applied”.

Empowerment breeds responsibility

At DSV, employees are offered a high level of ownership for their areas of responsibility. Trainees too are given responsibilities early on: “I have my own tasks within my area”, Mergim tells us, “and here I actually decide what I want to do and how I want to do it. As long as I do well there is no problem. I have a lot of responsibility and I feel confident about that”. Mergim explains.

Competition and collaboration motivate and propel you forward

“At the office, my team is very competitive – just as I am. I like to compete with myself and others too and I want to achieve good results every time. In our team right now, our manager likes to support this competitive spirit because when we compete, we improve. He tells us when we do well; he doesn’t keep it to himself” Mergim explains and continues: 
“I am very motivated by the collaboration I have with my colleagues. We each have our own areas, where we plan shipments, but we help each other out whenever one of us needs a hand. For instance, when we are very busy, we can be hard-pressed to find enough lorries. When this happens, we help each other find another haulier who can supply the trucks we need. Sometimes it’s the other way around, and I have a surplus of trucks in my area that I can send to my colleagues’ area. This doesn’t only happen within the team. It's with all the other department's at DSV: If you're under pressure, the other teams will help you out”.

Learning to keep your cool and not take the easy route
When you ask Mergim what the most important thing he has learned during his time with DSV is, he highlights two things: “To think outside of the box in order to find different solutions and achieve good results. I have learned not just to pick the easiest route, but to go the extra mile to find the very best solution for my customer, even if this is the tougher route to take for me. In addition to this freight-forwarding is a busy line of work and I've learned how to handle stressful situations by keeping my cool. I know I will solve the situation so there is no reason to stress about it – these are probably the most important things I have learned”.

The ability to ‘think outside the box’ is one, Mergim recognises as commonly shared and encouraged among DSV employees: “I feel the ‘DSV DNA’ in all my colleagues around Europe, whom I talk to - it's as if we have the same mind: In our job, we don’t just say: “No, sorry I don’t have a solution” to our customer. We need to be able to think outside the box to find a solution, if one is not readily available". 

The future may be global

“At the moment, I am still a trainee and part of the Young DSV programme, but I think someday I would like to try working at another office in a different country maybe. It’s good to know how other countries work and I think it's good to have some international experience if you want to progress within the company”, Mergim rounds off his thoughts about working at DSV and his ambitions for the future.

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Rebekah Kemp, Senior Director, Strategic Sales

UK

Rebekah, who lives in Manchester with her husband and two sons, has been in freight-forwarding for all of her 28-year long career and in DSV since 2008. 

She is a part of our UK Road Management team and is responsible for Strategic Sales. Like so many other DSV colleagues have through the years, Rebekah originally became part of DSV through an acquisition, when DSV and her previous place of work, ABX Logistics, joined forces in 2008.

Flexibility made Rebekah able to raise a family and pursue her career

Back then, Rebekah had just returned from maternity leave to her position as general manager of the ABX Manchester branch. The DSV Management team recognised Rebekah’s potential and offered her a chance to run the DSV Leyland operation: “It was a big challenge for me” Rebekah recalls “considering the age of my children and something I had to consider carefully, before accepting the offer. The support and flexibility I got from the management team enabled me to take on that challenge and balance bringing up two young children and progressing my career with DSV”.

Continuous development keeps you keen

What continues to motivate Rebekah about working with DSV is the ongoing development of our company: “I think DSV is such a progressive company and there's always different challenges and initiatives going on. We're always moving with the times; we're always looking at what's happening in our environment and changing and reinventing ourselves in that respect. No day is ever the same working with DSV and it's just a very motivating place to work, which keeps you interested in staying on”, Rebekah explains.

Through team collaboration we deliver best performance

“I think we have a lot of people who are driven by competition and by delivering top performance. You need to be competitive within this environment, and whilst we have success, we never rest on that success”, Rebekah reflects and continues: “Within my division, we are highly collaborative in the way we reach our results. It's really important to bring in all the experts when we're delivering a solution to the client - bring Operations in, bring our legal people in, bring Finance in and we do so from the start so that everybody understands the expectations of the customer. So, it's a very collaborative environment and we deliver many of our results together - it's a team effort!”.

Humour, team spirit and open dialogue support the DSV values

In Rebekah’s Strategic Sales division, the DSV values of ‘Customer first’, ‘Best Performance’ and ‘True Collaboration’ are fed by the atmosphere and communication, and in the DSV organisation as a whole: “There's a great work ethic within the team and we have a really good, strong team spirit. We all share a strong desire to deliver a high level of customer service and to achieve good results. Whatever challenges come our way, the team is willing to work and to react, and if that means putting in the extra hours to accomplish what we need to do, then people are very willing. At the same time, there's a great sense of humor within the team”, Rebekah explains: “Transportation is a busy line of work with some amount of pressure, and it is important that we can see the more fun side of life too; that we can laugh at ourselves and with each other during hectic times. This is common to the DSV offices that I visit in other countries: Ours is a serious environment and people are focused, but we have a good sense of humor as well. Also, I think DSV employees have a very open and respectful dialogue between each other. People feel comfortable challenging situations they think are not right or don't agree with. But they also understand how to do so with respect for their colleagues. It’s very important that people feel they can speak openly, but also that we have to be respectful”.

Rebekah’s future may be a global one

12 years with DSV is by no means enough for Rebekah: “In the future, I'd like to continue to contribute to the success of DSV.  I want to see the business grow and I want to be part of that growth journey. Considering the size and global nature of the DSV organisation, I would at some point like to experience working on a global level - we have so many offices across the world in different divisions, offering you countless opportunities as a DSV employee”, she finishes our talk about what it’s like to work with DSV.

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Janette Pokkinen, Operation Manager, Road Division

Finland

A large company offers many opportunities

Five years ago, Janette Pokkinen contacted DSV in Finland looking for a job. What had sparked Janette’s interest was the sheer size of DSV:
“Working in a smaller firm I worried I might get stuck with one task, one title or in one area. DSV has such a great variety of areas you can work in so I knew I would be able to explore what I'm good at and what I'm interested in. I figured this could guide me to find the right place for me, ‘cause it could be Sales, Operations, Warehousing or something completely different…DSV has so much to offer”.

Your need for challenges will be met 

A lot of cargo has gone through Janette’s hands in the last five years, where she has also successfully completed DSV’s own freight forwarding programme, Young DSV. Her eagerness to take on new challenges has taken Janette through handling export from Finland to France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and the UK to her current position as Team Lead in DSV’s Road division. In this position she juggles the planning of trucks with supporting the team in various tasks.
Janette feels her readiness for new challenges and responsibilities has been acknowledged and acted on by her DSV managers: “I'm not ready to settle in yet. I still want to learn and continue to do more challenging work. Actually, my managers have always noticed this and have always been able to give me more challenges and let me shine”.

The right attitude will forward your career

Janette has done well for herself at DSV. When you ask her what kind of behavior DSV celebrates, she says: “It's a lot about attitude. You don't have to know it all and you don't have to be an expert at everything. But if you're willing to do the best you can, you're willing to learn and ready for change - that's appreciated. We don't take the easiest route but try to do our best every time for the customers and for DSV”.

What you do makes a difference 

At DSV, we value local empowerment – for our countries, our divisions and our individual employees. Janette has felt this in her five years in our Road division: "DSV is behind me and what I do. As part of DSV, I am given a lot of responsibility and I think DSV trusts that I do my best. I enjoy this - I think it's empowering: When you work at DSV, you are told and shown that what you do makes a difference – you are there for a reason and your actions have a real impact. For instance, I know that if I plan my truck a little fuller, it has an effect. It's a small effect now, but still I have a lot of power in my hands…It's me moving the trucks and it's me bringing them to Finland so it feels like I'm being trusted. That makes me want to do my best for DSV”.

Great teamwork

An aspect which also has an influence on Janette’s experience at DSV is the collaboration she has with her closest team: 
“I think our team is one of the most fun ones. We have a strangely similar sense of humour, so I really enjoy our team. We are all from different backgrounds: One has knowledge of IT; one has experience of actually driving a truck. We have people with 40 years’ experience in the field and people like me with only a couple of years’ experience. I think together we make a very good team and the good thing in our team is that you don't have to be afraid to ask for help or an opinion. We get the best out of each other”.
The great atmosphere is also reflected at the rest of the office in Vantaa, Finland: “We have a good atmosphere at the office. Maybe it's because we are all part of this bigger picture. There are so many different people that have put an effort into the trucks coming to Finland. That means we work together and are in such close contact it makes us more like friends than just people sharing the same office”, Jannette explains and continues: “'I’ve developed some very close relationships through DSV and we’re also spending a lot of time together outside the office”.

The future
While Janette thrives in her present job, she hopes to be trusted with greater challenges in the future: “I think I'm on the on the right track and I really enjoy being part of the European haulage team, but of course in the future I am working towards more responsibilities. Two days are never the same. I like knowing that it never gets boring and you never know what to expect. That's part of why I enjoy this industry so much - it's not predictable at all”.

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Pia D. Laugesen, Business Change Manager, Road Division

Horsens, Denmark

”I love improving the way we do things, following new trends and being at the cutting edge with the right resources at the right time. It means a lot to me to have staff on side, enjoying their work and doing what they are good at.”

Pia started her career as DSV as a trainee. A very ambitious person, she wanted to make her mark and  see the world. This led to her being sent to Paris for an assignment, which was a fantastic experience that left her with a strong network worth its weight in gold in her daily work.

"When I see a truck on the road, it makes me proud and it almost feels like I’m the one in the driver’s seat. DSV is a great example of a Danish company, which is successful in international business. We have the ambitions and we make decisions that are well thought through. It all suits me very well."

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Lynn Hu, Senior Manager, Commercial Support

Shanghai, China

“DSV is my haven. It’s a stable and solid place to work and I see it improving every year.”

It’s been a fantastic journey for Lynn since she joined DSV 11 years ago, moving up the career ladder through various different positions.

"There are opportunities everywhere in DSV if you are dedicated. Working with so many colleagues from different countries and cultures means we all get to learn from each other. It’s helped me with my career development as well as being great on a personal level.”

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Jason Ye, Senior Supply Chain Advisor, Global Commercial Organisation

Denmark

"My goal is to make our customers more competitive and successful by optimising their supply chains."

Jason moved from China to work at DSV’s head office just outside Copenhagen. He has already fallen in love with his new home and the culture in DSV.

“DSV is a very performance driven and decentralised organisation. The management is so down to earth, honest and the communication is very open. I really feel the value of that. We can make quick decisions and immediately adjust to market developments for the benefit of our customers. That’s how I like it."

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