A global pairing delivering to billions at speed

How do you best sum up the partnership between two major global brands, who are synonymous with the word “international”?

We asked John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express.

“DHL and HSBC have an extremely strong relationship,” he said. “Having two such big brands working together does wonders for our reputation, how we’re perceived by our customers and how we can be seen to be as global as HSBC - and sort of riding on their coat-tails.

“I don't mind saying that, because many organisations choose DHL for exactly the same reason.”

DHL delivers more than 1.5 billion parcels to over 220 countries every year, while HSBC serves almost 40 million customers in 62 countries and territories worldwide.

“Let me simplify it: They're global, we’re global,” John said. “We’re in a huge number of geographies and we need any number of cash management services, treasury bank guarantees and a lot more. And HSBC are there when we need them to provide those services to us.”

It’s an almost 40-year-old collaboration between HSBC and DHL – and one that continues to be forward looking, according to Vivek Ramachandran, Head of Global Trade Solutions at HSBC.

“I think we've got an amazing relationship with DHL,” he said. “We’re important to them and they’re important to us.

“So, it's passed the test of time, it's a relationship that's changed and one that holds a lot of promise for the future.” Much of that promise lies within the world of international trade – and of course, speedy delivery.

“The world of trade today is characterised by multiple digital islands that are still connected by paper,” said Vivek.

“Today, DHL helps us move paper between people on these islands, faster and more efficiently. But we're also working with DHL to digitise trade. And that's where our business models have a lot in common.”