Becoming a global top employer didn’t happen overnight. Hamm described a 15-year transformation anchored in a clear strategy, guiding principles, and measurable progress. The foundation is DHL’s Employee Engagement Program, which moves beyond satisfaction surveys to focus on enablement — giving people the tools and autonomy to succeed. 

​

Each business unit has its own certified leadership program, ensuring consistency in tone and behaviour across markets. “You can’t dictate culture,” Hamm said. “You have to build it — one team, one conversation, one decision at a time.” 

​

Leadership through Head, Heart, Guts and Bite

​

DHL’s leadership philosophy distils global complexity into four simple words: 

​

• Head — driving success through focused use of strengths and clear goals. 

• Heart — building trust and shared purpose. 

• Guts — staying positive and prioritising progress amid uncertainty. 

• Bite — the will to win through determination and collaborative energy. 

 

Together, they define what great leadership looks like across DHL’s vast network — from warehouses to boardrooms. 

​

Scaling culture through structure

While DHL operates with military-scale logistics, its culture thrives on human-scale connection. Certified learning programs guide employees through tailored development journeys, combining local empowerment with global standards. 

​

The result is a workforce that feels both trusted and accountable. “We measure everything — but we also celebrate,” Hamm noted. “Recognition is a language everyone speaks.” 

​

Culture as a sustainable advantage

In a sector where efficiency is the norm, DHL differentiates through emotional intelligence. Culture is treated as infrastructure: something to be maintained, measured and improved. Hamm calls it “sustainable leadership” — a mindset that links business performance, people engagement, and purpose into one ecosystem. 

​

When culture becomes strategy, HR evolves from a function into a growth engine. For DHL, that means proving that scale and humanity don’t have to be opposites. 

​

Watch the full keynote here: