K+N brings in DSV road chief Søren Schmidt as overland margins slide

Kuehne+Nagel has appointed long-serving DSV executive Søren Schmidt (pictured) as executive vice president for road logistics, succeeding Hansjörg Rodi, who will retire this summer.

Mr Schmidt will join the Swiss forwarder on 1 May, following a 12-month garden leave, bringing to an end a 17-year tenure at DSV, where he led its road division since 2013.

His move comes at a critical juncture for K+N’s overland business, which has struggled to match the scale and profitability of leading peers.

In 2025, the group’s road logistics unit saw EBIT fall sharply, to CHF58m, while EBITDA margins declined to 3.7%, as weak European demand and an under-utilised network weighed on performance.

By contrast, DSV’s road division delivered improving earnings and margins, supported by tight cost control and early benefits from the Schenker integration – highlighting the execution gap K+N will be looking to close with the hire.

At K+N, the appointment marks a planned leadership transition, with Mr Schmidt taking over from Dr Rodi, who has overseen the development of the company’s road logistics unit since 2022. Prior to joining K+N, Dr Rodi was at DB Schenker.

Meanwhile, at DSV, Mr Schmidt’s departure is being absorbed into a broader executive reshuffle linked to its acquisition of DB Schenker. The Danish forwarder has named Helmut Schweighofer, currently CEO of DB Schenker Europe, to succeed him as head of its road division, underscoring how the acquisition is reshaping its leadership structure.

The parallel moves highlight diverging positions in the European road freight market: K+N seeking to improve returns in a weaker-performing division; and DSV doubling-down on scale and integration to consolidate its lead.

In a LinkedIn post, Mr Schmidt described the move as “a natural next step to broaden my perspective within another leading player”, adding that he looked forward to contributing to K+N’s continued development.

He also thanked colleagues and partners at DSV for a “strong and valuable collaboration over the years”.