Supply chains are recalibrating, and the Middle East and Africa are investing aggressively to meet the moment.

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott W. Luton and special guest co-host Yaseen Ahmid welcome Toby Maier, CEO for Middle East and Africa at DHL Global Forwarding, for a wide-ranging conversation on what is changing trade and logistics across the region. Toby breaks down how recent tariffs are redirecting export flows into the Middle East and Africa, why GCC countries are racing to build world-class logistics hubs, and how production is shifting from Turkey toward markets like Egypt and Morocco.

They also explore what it will take to build stronger, more reliable supply chains across Africa, from investment in life sciences and healthcare infrastructure to modernized regulation that reduces delays at customs. Toby shares how DHL’s publicly announced $300 million investment through 2030 prioritizes end-to-end capability that helps medicines, vaccines, and other critical products reach communities across a fast-growing population. The conversation also tackles the practical realities of energy access, data centers, and the cost to deliver goods, plus how sustainability efforts like electrified fleets and sustainable aviation fuel can support performance and emissions goals at the same time.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Intro

(03:13) Getting to know guest Toby Maier and co-host Yaseen Ahmid

(06:05) Toby’s journey in global logistics leadership

(11:17) Trade shifts and what they mean for Africa

(15:24) DHL’s investment focus across Africa

(18:18) Infrastructure and power realities on the ground

(22:50) Building efficiency and sustainability into the network

(24:22) Renewable energy progress and practical pathways

(26:37) What commitment to sustainability looks like at DHL

(30:26) Developing talent and leadership across the continent

(40:09) Why emerging markets belong on your career map

Additional Links & Resources:

1. Connect with Toby Maier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toby-maier/
2. Connect with Yaseen Ahmid: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaseen-ahmid/
3. Learn more about DHL Global Forwarding: https://www.dhl.com/
4. Learn more about Luna: https://luna-resume.com/
5. Learn more about our hosts: https://supplychainnow.com/about
6. Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com
7. Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now
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This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Yaseen Ahmid, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/building-resilient-innovative-supply-chains-across-africa-1547

[00:00:19] Voice Over: Welcome to Supply Chain Now, the number one voice of supply chain. Join us as we share critical news, key insights, and real supply chain leadership from across the globe. One conversation at a time.

[00:00:46] Yaseen Ahmid: Doing great today, Scott. Really looking forward to today’s conversation.

[00:01:41] Scott W. Luton: Hey, when it comes to the proverbial next generation of supply chain leaders in Africa, what skills or mindsets will be critical to their success? All of this and much, much more Yaseen. This should be a terrific episode, huh?

[00:02:07] Scott W. Luton: Hey, we’re supply chain nerds. We plan a lot, don’t we get seen? That’s how it goes. So folks, stick around for a great conversation. It’s going to offer up tons of actual insights by the truckload. So with all that said, I want to welcome in a wonderful guest joining us here today. Toby Maier serves as CEO for Middle East and Africa with DHL Global Forwarding. Now in this role, he leads a forwarding business with more than 3,000 highly skilled and motivated freight forwarders in this high growth and innovative part of the world. Prior to this role, Toby served in a variety of senior leadership roles in a variety of sectors, including of course supply chain, but also consulting, technology, automotive, and food and beverage. And as you’ll see here today, not only does Toby love to win, but it really enjoys tackling big challenges and finding solutions that no one else can find.

[00:03:03] Toby Maier: Very good. Thanks very much for having me, Scott and Yaseen. Looking forward to an insightful conversation.

[00:03:42] Toby Maier: Yeah, so I’m really a big consumer of all these new binge watch options. I think one I can really highly recommend. I really enjoyed watching a lot. It’s called Zero, Zero, Zero. I saw it on Amazon Prime. It’s about a big shipment of trucks coming from Mexico, organized by some American US-based chippers ending up in Africa and totally in the end, finding its way to Italy. It was very special for me because certain areas, sports, I know very well. I think it was fun watching. Interesting to learn a bit about the world and how everything is interconnected. And if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s perhaps a hidden chap. Zero, zero, zero.

[00:04:30] Yaseen Ahmid: I actually haven’t, Scott, but I know in our prior conversation with Toby, I was quite shocked to hear that he’s never watched Star Wars who load of the ring. So I’m definitely calling him out on that one. And we definitely have to set up another session where we go through all of those trilogies.

[00:05:11] Yaseen Ahmid: I think straight … Well, what’s something that comes straight to mind is Landman. It’s about an oil kind of baron talking about all of the different kind of complexities that they face in their daily operations. Yeah, that’s a show that I’ve really enjoyed recently.

[00:06:14] Toby Maier: Yeah, I think it’s a bit by accident, to be totally honest. So it’s a bit interesting because when I was young and finishing my school in Germany, I was thinking of what to study. And logistics always interested me, but I did end up studying general economics at university. Started working in finance and consulting, you mentioned it, and in foods in Switzerland. And I actually met my wife. Interestingly enough, on the day she returned from a six month stint in a university in Cape Town. We got a baby, we got a second baby, we decided to marry, and she was from Bon. Now, Bon is the old capital of Germany. You have two big corporates there. One is called Deutsche Telecom. I think T-Mobile, you guys know very well in the US. And the other big one is Nortepost DHL. Now, I had already worked for T-Mobile, so I wanted to try out the other company, which was Deutsche Port’s DHL.

[00:07:47] Scott W. Luton: Toby, what a wonderful start our conversation. And Yaseen, as he was explaining how he kind of found himself into this incredible industry and of course some of those family bonds there, it brought to my mind how it’s important to be intentional and deliberate, right? It’s really important. However, on the other hand, the power of serendipity and kind of creating our own luck is a wonderful, wonderful thing as well, huh?

[00:08:32] Scott W. Luton: And our industry is better off due to all the wonderful folks that stumble into global supply chain. And what the good thing is we’re getting more and more intentional about recruiting the top talent as well. So that’s been really cool, especially in recent years. Okay. So Toby, as a follow-up, a lot of folks are going to make assumptions about what various CEOs do with their time and do in their role, but if you would tell us about your role as CEO for Middle East and Africa with DHL Global Forwarding. Tell

[00:09:50] Toby Maier: End of the day, we orchestrate all the players in the logistic fields, all the asset owners and bring all the people together to create win-win situations. So traveling, a lot of interactions, that’s why they need attention on the weekends or in their vacations to calm down a little bit.

[00:10:28] Yaseen Ahmid: I think to that point about Toby’s travels and then Avid use of LinkedIn and every single week, Toby’s in a new location. So I think I’m always trying to see if he’s traveling all around the continent.

[00:11:16] Yaseen Ahmid: No, I really appreciate that. So I think, Toby, you mentioned 26 countries. What do you see as two to three forces that are currently reshaping trade and logistics in the region right now?

[00:12:16] Toby Maier: So I think something very interesting for the people in the region is that production came to Turkey. Now we see a shift to places like Egypt or Morocco happening at rapid pace. Challenge with the rest of Africa is that the infrastructure and the availability of electricity is not at the levels required to really have big scale industrial production taking place at this stage. Very interestingly, for example, I learned Ethiopia. Ethiopia have established certain areas, I think five special industrial zones, targeting to produce textiles for the American market. Now with the new tariffs and the exemption which used to be in place revoked, that has now converted into producing solar panels. So suddenly the guys in European not only export coffee, but also a lot of solar panels. We have a saying in DHL that trade always finds its way like the water finds its way through the rivers, and you can see a lot of these things happening at different pace, at different local situations.

[00:13:23] Yaseen Ahmid: A couple comments there for, and some feedback for Scottsdale. I think the continent of Africa, Scott, you visited South Africa a couple of times. The workforce is both resilient, but also extremely adaptable to these constantly changing forces.

[00:14:25] Toby Maier: Yeah. I think there’s one other famous saying, which I like to use a lot and which actually connects very well with me personally, but I like to work for DHL. It’s a French philosoph by the name of Frederick Basita, who in the mid of the 19th century said, “If goods don’t cross borders, soldiers will.” For me, it’s always about trade bringing prosperity to people and making this planet a better place for everyone and having us peaceful work together. I know in these times it’s a bit tricky, but I think trade finds its way and trade really makes this world a better place.

[00:15:13] Yaseen Ahmid: I completely agree with that, Scott. And I think with this idea of being a force for good, I know that Toby mentioned these big investments that are currently occurring in the Middle East and in Africa, which brings me to my next question, which is DHL has publicly shared a $300 million investment into the continent. Toby, at a high level, what is the investment meant to enable and what principles guide where it’s deployed?

[00:16:46] Toby Maier: So that’s one of the big topics we want to do. The 300 million we will invest is a minimum amount. We want to invest until 2030. Of course, if we find more opportunity, we’ll invest more, but I think the investment needed overall in Africa will be in the billions, if not trillion. So it’s any aspect of the supply chain, the roads, the ports, but also very importantly, regulation should be simplified and improved because we see too many goods and containers stuck in customs for too long time, which makes the whole supply chain super inefficient.

[00:17:29] Toby Maier: Well, it’s part of our Strategy 2030. So one of the sectors we have identified as a growth sector because of the … In Europe, you have an aging population. In this part of the world, you have a fast growing population. It’s really that we believe life science, healthcare need, more bespoke, more dedicated solution, which really provide end-to-end reliable solutions connecting the producers with the end consumers wherever they may be. So that’s just part of one of the strategic pillars. I think some of our competitors doing equal stuff. There is demand for this sector to get up a notch, and that’s why we’re doing it.

[00:18:18] Toby Maier: Yeah. I mean, I mentioned it earlier, and again, it’s one of the sectors we focus on is energy. We call it new energy, but there is a very clear correlation between the cost of energy and the prosperity in the country. Reliable access to cheap energy will drive prosperity in any country in the world and has been driving it. And that is something lacking. I mean, Jasin, you will know coming from South Africa, when I was there 10 years ago, we had load shedding, which pretty much means we had three times a week, four hours where there was simply no electricity in your neighborhood, and some had a generator, some didn’t, but you had to manage. Not having this reliable source of enough sufficient energy is really a challenge. Thinking ahead of the next big wave, so I think everybody talks about data centers and AI.

[00:19:54] Scott W. Luton: Yeah. Yaseen a lot of good stuff there from Toby, and I love your questions. A couple quick comments before we move forward and love to get you to respond and to get your thoughts to where you’re seeing the infrastructure. Every region in the entire world has massive infrastructure changes based largely on population changes or the velocity of change in business and consumer needs, business needs or whatever. We touched a couple times on energy, right? And I’m glad you mentioned load shedding, Toby, because we’ve been doing a series a long time. And some of our favorite folks in South Africa a couple years ago, we had the time at certain times when they had their generators, and inevitably they would drop out from time to time. It seems like it’s gotten better though. It seems like it’s gotten better, but in a greater sense, get this folks, I read a stat the other day that if you think of all the electricity that the country of Japan uses in a year, right?

[00:21:28] Yaseen Ahmid: No, likewise. I think starting here in the US, interacting with a lot of my peers, I think one of the reasons why we want to make this podcast happen is to really deep dive into what the realities are operating on the continent. And I think Toby brought forward this infrastructure gap because it is prevalent and it is preventing the acceleration of business on the continent. When people talk about the implementation and the construction of large scale data centers, there’s no energy. And that’s the infrastructure that we have to develop right now to deploy those data centers to make it happen.

[00:22:26] Yaseen Ahmid: Yeah, I think it’s been an incredible turnaround. I think with the new government of National Unity, there’s definitely this shared sentiment of getting the country back on track with regards to its utilities. I think there’s still a long way to go, but they’re definitely making a fantastic effort.

[00:23:30] Toby Maier: I think one of the things is getting better organized. I think using available infrastructure as simple as it may sound. So there’s still a lot of trucks driving around empty to pick up something or to go back for making a delivery. So whatever we have in terms of capacity, let’s better use them altogether. I think that’s in the perfect sense. Whatever we do, let’s try to reduce the emissions. So if you need to drive with a truck from A to B, ensure it burns as less fuel as possible by planning in the best possible way. A lot of goes down to planning and supply chain and properly coordinating would all be so simple if all the things would fall in the right row all the time, which typically they don’t, as we all know. Then there is of course alternative fuels. So there is biofuels, we have sustainable aviation fuels helping us reduce then whatever emissions you still have.

[00:25:18] Toby Maier: Let’s see how that will go.

[00:26:00] Yaseen Ahmid: I think the drive and the intentionality from these organizations to really kind of explore these innovative solutions to combat climate change and to combat their emissions, I think is very inspiring. And similar sentiments on your aircraft, your passion for aircraft. I’m really interested to see this LSE project come to life in two years.

[00:26:56] Toby Maier: Address any emissions? How should I say this now? I think the Latin American entrepreneurs, they didn’t care so much about the Go Kreme they have. No, nothing to do with the sustainability aspect.

[00:27:43] Toby Maier: I can give you two concrete examples. So I think it’s 10 plus years ago. We were looking for our post-business in Germany, which is 150,000 plus people, so there were the post for Germany. We were looking for electric delivery vehicles and we couldn’t find. And we went to the big manufacturers in Germany, as you know, in automotive. We have some good names, but none were really kind of interested in offering us solutions. So in the end, we bought a startup and we built more than 20,000 of these vehicles ourselves and they are on the street. So our whole fleet, 60% of our fleet, I think by 2030, should be electrical for the smaller vehicles. Secondly, we are the number one airline, and we have a big airline in express, so we operate more than 300 planes. People often don’t connect that with DHL because for regulatory reasons, we have different airlines across the planet for landing rights and so forth, but we are the biggest consumer and customers of sustainable aviation fuels.

[00:29:23] Scott W. Luton: Yaseen, I had no idea. A fleet of 300 planes, I’m going to have to learn, dive much more into DHL’s air fleet. But kidding aside, what a lot that Toby just shared is when you tie compensation, executive leadership compensation to a decarbonization and other priorities, we’re going to find a way to move the needle because if trade always finds a way, and it does, as Toby said, compensation and what we tie compensation to also always finds a way. Yaseen, react to what we just heard there from Toby.

[00:30:15] Scott W. Luton: No doubt. Yaseen, I think you’re in the middle of New York City today and I think our wonderful police officers are going somewhere. So hey, that’s what happens. We keep it real around here. All right. So Yaseen and Toby. Toby, I’m going to go next and talk talent a minute. That’s come up a couple times in this conversation here today. I want to talk about the intersection of talent and leadership. It’s a very critical intersection. So when you think about Toby, the next generation of supply chain leaders in Africa, who are the next Tobys and Yaseens out there, right? What skills, mindsets, or tools in your tool belt you think would be critical to fueling their success? What comes to mind, Toby?

[00:31:43] Toby Maier: I think it should be you want to get into the role so you can make a difference. So you can help your company, you can help your community, you can help your country to be a better place. So I think there is still a lot of opportunity there. Sometimes I would say the good news is the access to education has changed a lot. So with YouTube and the whole revolution of the internet, I think 20, 30 years ago, there was a lot of talk of how do we ping education to the continent. I think it’s available for those who want to consume. But again, it comes down to a lot of personal, how much people take ownership for their own education, how much interest they have, how curious they are, how they can also connect with other people and other cultures. I think it’s very important.

[00:33:19] Toby Maier: “ So it was totally a different concept for me. And I think that’s such just as a Westerner, as a European, coming to the African community, taking care of each other was just something very different. So in Africa, there’s a very famous proverb, which is if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together. And I think that’s just something I had to learn. And it can be a real asset, but it can sometimes in a global world, which is perhaps sometimes dominated by the West, can be a challenge because there’s a different perception of certain situations.

[00:34:16] Yaseen Ahmid: I think that there’s this fine balance between the new implementations of technology, this rapid acceleration of AI and bringing skills and talent on board to be able to cope with this new technology that’s coming along the way. But I think, Toby, you really hit home with this kind of perception that foreigners or people from Europe, from the US, from Asia have when it comes to getting involved in the continent. And that is really trying to bring people along the way and creating this mass employment. But I think that companies like DHL are doing a fantastic job by being intentional about the way that they are upskilling and getting the talent in the younger kind of demographics involved in supply chain.

[00:35:54] Scott W. Luton: And we have so much to learn from those very talented people. So that was excellent perspective as well. Okay. So Toby, you’ve already given. That all this has been leadership advice, but think about this. Think about that early career professional. Maybe they’ve just finished up high school or maybe they just finished up college and they’ve landed in their first real job and they want to be a CEO like you. So what is one other leadership habit that you maybe had to learn the hard way or maybe it dawned on you a little bit later and you like to give these people we’re talking to a heads up on something, a leadership habit that will fuel their success early on. What comes to mind, Toby?

[00:37:29] Toby Maier: They all told me pretty much the same. I did what they told me and they were like, “My gosh, this guy is a genius.” And I was like, “I just do what you guys told me to do. “ But you have to buy in by the people. Typically, the organization very well knows where the weak points are, what the things are, which have to be changed. So I think just being humble, listen to the people and taking the time, which sometimes it’s hard. I’m also a red person, a red and yellow person doesn’t come naturally, but it’s so powerful. So invest the time, truly understand it, and then make sense out of it. I think that is really, really powerful. Toby,

[00:38:12] Yaseen Ahmid: I’m a huge fan of … I believe the book is surrounded by idiots. I’m forgetting the name of the author, but it does break different people into or codes them into these different colors. I believe it’s red, yellow, green, and blue. But I completely agree with you, Toby. I think having that skill of active listening, something that I’m still definitely working on is a crucial tool of being able to understand your environment and how to influence your employees and inspire the people around you.

[00:39:31] Scott W. Luton: And I’m going to support them to the end of the earth, but we’ve got to own the successes. We’ve got to own the challenges. We got to own how we behave, how we manage, how we lead. And Toby, you mentioned going fast a couple of times, but you implied going fast is important in this high velocity world, but we got to go fast, down the right path. Otherwise, going fast, we’re just getting further and further away from the goal. Toby, I’m going to give you, before we make sure folks can connect with you, anything you want to leave with us here today, and then we’re going to make sure folks know how to connect with you and all the good people at DHL.

[00:40:56] Toby Maier: It will change your careers. Unfortunately, and I think that’s something, we still struggle to find people willing to go that direction. It’s much easier to explore talents, but we need to get talents to go there. And it will change your life. And if you have been there three years and lived on the ground, you’ll have a different perspective on the world. I can guarantee that to you. And when you’re back wherever you want to go next, if you want to go back, because I’m stuck here now and I don’t want to go back, it’ll be something special. So I would just really encourage everybody to take some risk, explore something different. It might not be the ordinary. It might not be the comfort zone, but you need to get out of the comfort zone to really grow. So please do that. And I’m sure you’ll build an amazing career.

[00:41:49] Toby Maier: Yaseen alluded to that. So I’m very active on LinkedIn. So reach out on LinkedIn. You can follow. Typically when I’m traveling, I’m making some pictures. You will see a lot of my amazing colleagues from across the region. We call ourselves The Lion and Falcons, and we call ourselves the hot and spicy region because we’re a little bit different. We are the sexy part of a German big organization, the yellow machine, but we are there for all our customers and partners to make a true difference. We play hard, but we also can party hard. So it’s part of the whole package. Reach out. Whenever I’m speaking somewhere, typically you’ll see on LinkedIn as well. Of course, when you’re in Dubai, visit us in our amazing innovation center. It’s one of a kind where we showcase innovations and connect with all our partners and interested young people.

[00:42:44] Scott W. Luton: Outstanding. Toby Maier, CEO of Middle East and Africa with DHL Global Forwarding. Thank you so much for your time. And Toby, stick around for a second because we’re about to give a pop quiz to Yaseen here. I’m going to see his answer, but it’s good to be hot and spicy. It’s good being vanilla all the time. It’s be hot and spicy, folks. All right, Yaseen. Toby has really brought it here today. I’ve really enjoyed his down to earth grounded perspective and his advice and his analysis of the region and our industry, as well as the serendipitousness, if that’s a word, that brought him into this incredible industry. And of course, some of the secrets behind the success, but Yaseen, what is your single favorite takeaway from our conversation with Toby?

[00:44:27] Scott W. Luton: Well said, Yaseen. And folks, if you don’t know, I tell you, Yaseen, I can’t keep up with all the different things you’re involved in and your leadership. I love it. I admire it. We need more of an industry. How can folks connect with you to learn more about anything you shared here today or to connect with you on something else?

[00:44:58] Scott W. Luton: It’s just that easy. Okay, folks. I’ll tell you what, what a great conversation. I want to thank again Toby Maier, CEO for Middle East and Africa with DHL Global Forwarding. Toby, thank you so much for being here.

[00:45:10] Scott W. Luton: We’re going to have you back soon, get an update on that electric plane. You got my attention with that. Big thanks to Yaseen Ahmed as well. Always a pleasure to collaborate and learn from you, Yaseen.

[00:45:21] Scott W. Luton: No doubt. Okay, so folks to our Supply Chain Now global fam, hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I have. I got 12 pages of notes today from Toby and Yaseen, but folks, you know your homework, right? You got to take one thing and there’s a wide array of options at your disposal. Take one thing from the great stuff we heard here from Toby and Yaseen and do something with it, right? Deed’s not words. That’s how we’ll keep transforming global supply chain and leave no one behind. So with all that said, Scott W. Luton challenging all of our listeners to a good gift forward, be the chains that’s needed. We’ll see you next time right back here on Supply Chain Now. Thanks everybody.