Find out what Saloodo!s CEO Dr. Antje Huber thinks about female leadership and what kind of traits she brings along for Saloodo! to succeed. Make sure to “meet” her in person at the end of the interview!
1. Congratulations! You have been CEO of Saloodo! for one year now. How did it go?
Thank you, and yes – it have been intense and bumpy 12 months: I expected a loosening in COVID-19 measures already a year ago. But we were still required to work from home most of the time in the past year. We made sure the IT infrastructure was strong enough to handle all our business needs – this was not a problem for a digital company like us. But the demanded home office situation is not helping with creating stronger teams. Which is crucial in times like these. We are working hard on this, as the well-being of my colleagues is of greatest importance. Together we must face the challenging market situation in logistics on an everyday level and do our best to support our customers supply chain needs.
2. Look at the past 12 months, what were your highlights?
There were a lot of highlights in 2021; we had the chance to staff up in both our executive squad and the other teams, a growth that I love to be part of. During summer when COVID-19 let us have some breathing space we experienced an amazing team event and our Management Offsite was also fun. The icing on the cake was the Saloodo! launch in Argentina and that we managed to grow the usage of our digital platform in Sweden and in Turkey utterly.
3. What do you feel is the biggest strength of Saloodo! right now?
Our greatest achievement is to have a engaged and energized team, that fires up the growth and the achievements we aim for. We also get amazing support outside our inner circle from the DPDHL from all over the world: Our digital platform isn’t only another app
it’s creating real value for shippers and carriers.
4. Does the raise of the transport cost affect Saloodo!?
Yes of course – for us it’s vital to listen to and take care of the needs of our customers – if our carriers need to increase costs due to the market situation we urge for transparency. On the other end we understand the pressure shippers receive with higher prices. In the end prices might raise 10-15% compared to the past. In the industry we were expecting these numbers due to the Mobility Package, the Polish Labor Act and of course even higher energy costs.
5. What is the #1 aspect that you look for as a trait in all your employees when bringing them onto the team?
I have a wonderful team with an inspiring spirit full of diversity and passion to create something valuable. Our new joiners should share our passion to digitalize a rather traditional industry. I encourage women to improve the gender ratio in logistics; a growing, global, digital company like Saloodo! is the perfect place to grab chances to create the right culture, the perfect working environment and great career opportunities.
6. Why did you choose to be CEO of Saloodo! beside your Senior Vice President Strategy, Marketing & Chief of Staff position at DHL Freight?
The trigger was clearly the existing team and the potential I see in this company. I knew I could support them in giving an even clearer direction, engaging them and energize everybody. Besides that – before joining DPDHL I was already a CEO of a company: I like the idea of unlocking visions, talents, and a better working culture. And I am still so excited to go ahead. Imagine being in love with your work. But imagine being in love with your company, when you’re the CEO, is even better.
7. What are your strengths and how do you see them nurturing Saloodo!?
I am great at multitasking and can adapt quickly on changes. As a mother of three I have a great daily training and need to prioritize, as a lot is going on all the time. For a start-up like Saloodo! this seems like a good trait, don’t you think? My energy level is always high, and I love connecting the team even more, and create passionate engagement. Listening to colleagues gives me the chance to encourage everyone’s uniqueness and strengths. My background lies in Innovations and Strategy which I can clearly leverage for Saloodo!.
8. What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Clearly a big challenge is that we at Saloodo! try to change the way a traditional industry worked for decades. On a daily basis, we push the need to overcome barriers towards digitalization, like “Why should I change, we always did it that way”.
9. As a female student interested in Logistics: What do I need to start learning and doing now to have your job in a few years?
Never stop being curious, always be yourself, listen a lot and learn, build a reliable network and clearly do join us as a trainee or colleague. For Saloodo! it’s a daily mission to be part of our employees development and see people grow.
10. Can you recommend some networking events and organizations?
Personally, I am not really a member of any official organizations nor specific networks. I rather have my own network, which I built up since my university times. And as mentioned, make this network one of your super-powers. Of course, I would recommend taking a closer view on our open positions our Career Page. At Saloodo! more than half the employees and leader positions are female and we are proud of this.
11. As a mother of 3: What advice can you give mothers on work-life balance?
Prioritize, focus, support the family because they will support you. And make sure to ask for support! Don’t underestimate the time you need to take for yourself: It’s crucial to get proper sleep and do some form of enjoyment, like sports. Don’t feel ashamed to ask for help to take time for yourself! And enjoy what you are doing.
