Dirk Venter

Dirk has been immersed in the world of life science logistics for the past 20 years. As VP & Global Head of DHL Global Forwarding’s Life Sciences and Healthcare sector Dirk is responsible for commercial initiatives spanning over the entire Thermonet GxP certified network offering airfreight, ocean freight and value added services. In his role, Dirk is instrumental in the organization of more than 120 certified life sciences stations for airfreight and in excess of 59 certified reefer competence centers for ocean freight. He is also a member of DHL’s Global Task Force supporting vaccine manufacturers, governments, and NGOs. Previously, Dirk honed his skills in pharmaceutical logistics development on the African continent. His diverse portfolio of responsibilities included the Greenfield development of GxP facilities, logistics network setup, commercial, quality and compliance. Dirk is passionate about technology and considers himself as an early adopter. As a result he has a hunger for learning about new and innovative ways to make use of technology as a facilitator for continuous improvement. He is intimately involved in the topics of startups, IoT and Blockchain focusing on the simplification and real world implementation of these sometimes daunting topics in the Life Sciences & Healthcare arena. Before joining the logistics industry Dirk’s journey in life sciences started in the commercial management of multi-disciplinary pain clinics in Africa.