While Danish multinational Dsv is in the spotlight following its recent acquisition of Schenker, a storm has erupted at the top levels of the company following the publication, on 18 June 2025, of a damning article by Børsen under the headline “Verbale overfald og ydmygelser: Ansatte fortæller om brutal Dsv-topchef” (verbal assaults and humiliations: employees speak out about the brutal Dsv boss).
In the piece, fourteen current and former employees, all speaking on condition of anonymity, described a workplace environment where they claim to have been subjected to verbal outbursts from CEO Jens Lund, including fist-pounding on tables and humiliations, sometimes carried out in front of colleagues. Lund allegedly sent mass emails handing out yellow and red cards, mimicking a football referee, and operated under the motto “adapt or leave”. The Børsen article was picked up by several international outlets and prompted some investors to distance themselves from the CEO’s conduct.
Lund initially remained silent, but a day and a half after the article was published, on 20 June, he issued a written statement to Børsen in which he described himself as “very direct” in communicating with senior managers about what is working and what needs improvement, acknowledging that this may come across as unpleasant to some. He added that he is “working on” behaving differently.
The CEO’s conduct has come to light during the sensitive phase of integrating DB Schenker, whose acquisition was finalised by the Danish logistics giant on 30 April 2025 for around €14.3 billion. In the weeks that followed, Dsv announced investments of approximately €1 billion in Germany over the next three to five years and pledged to retain certain executive functions in the country. The company expects to complete the integration of DB Schenker by the end of 2028, but also announced job cuts ranging from 1,600 to 1,900 positions.
Independent analysts have identified several major challenges Dsv is likely to face in this process. Chief among them is the potential loss of some DB Schenker clients, a common occurrence in this type of merger. Operational hurdles also loom, stemming from the need to integrate disparate IT systems, workflow processes and transport networks. Nonetheless, the acquisition has catapulted Dsv up the ranks of global freight companies, overtaking Dhl Logistics and Kuehne+Nagel to become the world’s largest logistics provider by revenue.
