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Meeting highlights:
- DHL’s Strategic Footprint in Costa Rica: Costa Rica serves as a key logistics hub for DHL in the Americas, with major facilities near the airport and a strong nationwide retail presence.
- Enabling Access and Connectivity: DHL ensures broad national and international connectivity to support diverse industries and customers.
- Commitment to Sustainability: Sustainability is at the core of DHL’s operations, aligning closely with the company’s global Strategy 2030.
- Community Engagement and Talent Development: DHL fosters growth by investing in employees, promoting inclusion, and supporting local communities.
- Challenging times spark innovation: DHL is committed to resilience, service excellence, and empowering its global team to thrive.
EF: Could you elaborate on the unique strengths that DHL Express brings to the Costa Rica market and how you have contributed to the company's growth and reputation locally?
CO: Our footprint in Costa Rica is both strategic and impactful. We have made the country a key logistics support point for operations across the Americas. We have our three main facilities in the cities of Heredia and Alajuela, close to the airport. We also have a strong retail presence with 11 DHL-owned stores and over 40 partner locations nationwide. We are working to cover the whole country, making our service widely accessible to every customer.
For air cargo, our operation runs through Juan Santamaría Airport, ensuring strong regional and international connectivity for everyone. Sustainability is a top priority. We have introduced electric delivery vehicles and operate LED-certified buildings to reduce our environmental impact. Most importantly, we are proud to employ over 200 people in Costa Rica for DHL Express, and they actively support the local community through partnerships with non-profit organizations, some based in Costa Rica and others through regional sponsorships across the Americas.
EF: Could you highlight the importance of the healthcare industry to DHL?
CO: Costa Rica has been in the spotlight in recent years, and it will continue to be in the future. At DHL Express, we operate across several key logistics services in Costa Rica, including international shipping, customs clearance, last-mile deliveries, and sector-specific solutions.
Among our solutions, the healthcare segment is a strategic priority for us. It is driven by the growing demand for reliable, compliant, and time-sensitive logistics in the science and medical supply chains, which is very important for the country and us at DHL as well. This focus aligns directly with DHL’s Strategy 2030, which emphasizes sector-based growth.
It also includes digital transformation and sustainability. The healthcare industry, not only in Costa Rica but around the world, requires high precision, temperature control, and regulatory compliance. These are some areas where DHL is investing a lot to ensure operational excellence and a service that is patient-centric. It is not just about moving products, but about focusing on the patients. This has been a strong focus for us and is a priority within DHL’s Global Strategy 2030.
DHL’s global expansion — including its recent announcement of a €2 billion investment in healthcare logistics by 2030 — is significantly enhancing infrastructure across Latin America. €200 million of this investment is allocated to the region, including Costa Rica, to strengthen supply chain capabilities from warehousing to last-mile delivery.
EF: What are the critical KPIs you use in your day-to-day operations that are important for DHL’s business and performance, especially in terms of access?
CO: Considering the importance and requirements of this industry, such as high precision, temperature control, and strict compliance, we rely on a strong global operations team. In our hubs, especially in places like the US and Europe, we hold daily calls when needed to ensure everything runs smoothly. In terms of our portfolio, we have developed services to address local and regional healthcare logistics needs.
Something that is critical for our customers is temperature-controlled shipping. We also work with “Good Distribution Practice” compliant storage, which is a standard that ensures the quality and safety of medicines during transport and storage. There is a whole team behind this effort, including operations, customs, regulatory affairs, and more.
These certifications ensure that medicines are distributed correctly, avoiding risks like falsification or deterioration of the goods. We also track many KPIs in customs, processing each package individually. In addition, we monitor last-mile delivery performance specifically for pharmaceuticals and medical devices. These KPIs appear in both our operational and customs dashboards. So it is not just the commercial side, logistics, as you mentioned earlier, is really at the heart of all this development in the healthcare industry.
This is not just based in Costa Rica, but part of a global network. DHL operates in more than 220 countries and territories, which means we standardize all processes and have almost real-time tracking for every single package. By doing this, we ensure compliance with the strict requirements of the healthcare industry.
EF: How do you position yourself to work with startups or small enterprises that are entering the market and seeing new opportunities?
CO: Talking about startups, we play a vital role in empowering SMEs, especially in healthcare, by providing access to global trade routes, regulatory expertise, and logistics technologies. We have programs like GoTrade and DHL Health Logistics that help small businesses to scale internationally. We also manage compliance and ensure efficient cross-border delivery. So our focus is not only on big customers, we are equally committed to supporting SME development.
Moreover, we recently acquired CryoPDP, a specialist courier for clinical trials and advanced therapies. This expands DHL’s support in Costa Rica, especially for the growing biotech and medtech sectors, helping startups bring innovations to global markets faster and more reliably. This aligns with some of the major global trends we are seeing. So yes, we are also investing heavily in our logistics network around the world.
EF: Could you elaborate on how are you driving digital transformation to address adoption and compliance challenges in healthcare logistics?
CO: We recently had the IT Americas and Global Meeting here in Costa Rica. Yes, it is very interesting and something we were actively discussing regarding the future. DHL is deploying advanced IT systems that offer end-to-end shipment visibility, which is something really important for this segment, along with automated compliance and real-time temperature monitoring. This is very critical for this industry. These innovations are crucial for sectors like pharmaceuticals and cell and gene therapies, which are very common now. We are also maintaining product integrity and regulatory compliance, which is also essential for these companies.
In Costa Rica, these technologies help healthcare providers track their shipments, ensure quality control, and streamline customs and delivery. We believe this is making logistics more efficient, transparent, and compliant with both customer and industry requirements in this segment. As for digitalization, we see it as something that is here to stay, and we are doing a lot in this area.
EF: As you approach your anniversary, what would you say in your celebratory speech?
CO: Well, it is about feeling grateful, not only for my own development but also for everything we have done as a company. I think about how DHL was 20 years ago when I first joined, and the evolution the company has gone through. I think it is about recognizing that the journey has not just been professional, but also personal. As leaders, our legacy is the impact we make on each employee and colleague around the world.
I have had the opportunity to travel, learn from different cultures, and be part of a diverse and inclusive company. That makes me happy. I also feel a strong commitment to and belief in the company's leadership philosophy, which truly aligns with my own. And I think that is something worth celebrating as well.
That is something that makes DHL a great company to work for, not just for one but for all. We have many programs and trainings that celebrate culture, support development, and build clear career paths for our employees. We also focus on giving back to the communities in every country where we operate. This is becoming even more important, especially for the newer generations who are looking not only for a place to work but for a company that aligns with their personal values, culture, philosophy, and vision. I believe DHL is doing this very well, and I feel proud to be part of it.
EF: What is your final message to the readers?
CO: I believe that challenging times, as we are facing every single year, are when creativity and innovation flourish. That is from my personal experience. This leads us to develop an ever-stronger culture of quality and service across the DHL network. I also trust the leadership and the philosophy of this company.
We have a very resilient and committed team around the world, and we always demonstrate the ability to achieve the best in every circumstance. All of this is what makes us a great place to work, We also want our people to thrive in this company and achieve the best they can be, wherever they want to go.
