Darko Babić, Managing Director of DHL Express Serbia

There are few global companies that can boast of having come up with an entirely new area of business and of existing as the leader in the business it deals with for 50 years.

During its 50 years of operations, DHL has grown to become the world’s leading logistics company. What changed the most during that time?

– Although starting with just three people, a little capital and an excellent idea, they endured through all difficult times, crises, monopolies. Today, on all meridians where it operates as the most international company, it is emphasised that dedication to the job, devotion to work and the ability to survive even the toughest moments are what have sustained DHL throughout all of these 50 years.

DHL has changed and transformed over the course of half a century. What has certainly changed the most and had the greatest impact on the development of DHL are continuous technological innovations and solutions that enable us to grow our infrastructure in order to always offer our customers the kind of service that they expect.

However, some attributes that existed 50 years ago are still a significant driver of our operations, and those are a pioneering, innovative spirit, the great passion of our employees in providing an exceptional service to clients, as well as the stance that we can do anything and that there are no obstacles that can’t be overcome.

DHL Express today runs a fleet of 260 dedicated aircraft globally, operating 3,200 flights every day, transporting 248 million shipments annually for 2.6 million customers

DHL has existed in Serbia for almost 30 years, and you’ve been at the helm of the Serbian company for only a few years less. Which stages in the development of DHL Serbia were the most important, representing turning points or the most difficult periods?

– I’ve been employed by DHL for 30 years and held the position of director for 26 years already. Just as DHL’s global beginnings are linked to three people who gave life to a completely new idea, so DHL started in Serbia by operating out of a single transport container at the airport. The company grew in line with the needs of our clients, which we always knew how to anticipate in advance.

We’ve shown in many ways that we are guardians of tradition when it comes to the company’s pioneering spirit. We’ve operated under the most varied conditions and I’m proud to say that, despite the challenges we’ve faced, DHL in Serbia hasn’t stopped providing services to its clients, connecting their businesses with the world, for even a single day.

DHL in Serbia has grown and evolved by improving its own infrastructure, developing employees who’ve implemented all changes to operations and who have, of course, always applied all the innovations that we’ve had to respect as part of the largest global network.
Although this is a time when we are celebrating significant anniversaries, the main focus for us is on ensuring that our business continues to remain as successful for the next 30 years as it has been to date. We devote the greatest attention to our employees and their motivation.

They are the ones who – as part of a global network – provide an exceptional quality of service to our clients, making their lives simpler, which is why the users of our services return to us over and over again. I firmly believe that, despite automation and the introduction of artificial intelligence into the world of logistics and service provision, our employees – who are Insanely Customer Centric – will continue to play a key role.

Your company has long since understood the importance of socially responsible operations, and you always strive to improve the ways you relate to the community. Corporate social responsibility is very diverse in your company.

– As a global company, we have a global responsibility to the world in which we live. We strive to connect people and ease their lives. With its three CSR programmes, DP DHL shows a clear commitment to being an active participant in creating a better place to live across the entire planet.

Go Help is a very important programme that relates to providing help for the vulnerable, i.e. people in need. Assistance generally isn’t difficult to collect, but DP DHL has organised special teams, Disaster Response Teams that deal with the distribution of assistance, helping to ensure assistance reaches those who need it most in a timely manner.

Go Teach is a programme we’re implementing at the global level together with nonprofit SOS Children’s Villages, through which we also provide assistance to those in need. However, it is important to note that Serbia was one of the first three countries to engage locally in this kind of partnership.

One of the results of DHL’s socially responsible operations through the Go Green programme is that all DHL employees will become Go Green Specialists, in such a way that they will be certified through specific theoretical training and volunteer work on the ground

Go Green is a project that implies a holistic approach to contributing primarily to the preservation of the natural environment. It was back in 2007 that those at DHL who act responsibly towards the planet calculated the footprint of all of our pollution and decided to reduce emissions of harmful gasses by 30 per cent by 2020. And we didn’t stop there but rather pledged to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and we are convinced that we will achieve this really challenging goal. DP DHL plants a million trees around the world each year, thus showing that it cares about the legacy that we leave behind for future generations. In the year of its anniversaries, by sponsoring Bryan Adams’ world tour, DHL will plant a tree for every concert ticket sold.

And Belgrade – as one of the destinations on this worldwide tour – and DHL Serbia will also participate in this campaign. It is through education that we can impact the most on raising awareness of the importance of preserving the planet, and although we sometimes think that someone else is taking care of that, it is essential for us to know exactly what each of us, as individuals, can do in contributing to that shared goal. That’s why we transferred our commitment to environmental protection into the promise that every DP DHL employee will become a Go Green Specialist.