Lars Hoffmann who heads DFDS’s Mediterranean business unit is impressed by the Blue MBA’s strong focus on logistics
All-rounder Lars Hoffmann, vice-president and head of the Mediterranean business unit at DFDS, knew there was something missing from his shipping and logistics CV. He was inspired to enrol in the Blue MBA programme because “I have a very typical shipping education, meaning no academic background but a lot of practical experience. My principle is always to improve, and that is why I thought it was time for me to put a bit of theory in my ‘toolbox,’ also considering this would be an excellent support for my job today and future ambitions,” he says.
He has a key role with DFDS, one of northern Europe’s biggest ferry and freight operators, which also has an important trading link between the European Union and Türkiye – he has lived in Istanbul since 2019, building up the company’s high-frequency network.
Mr Hoffmann explained how he came to light on the Blue MBA (the Executive MBA in Shipping & logistics, based at Copenhagen Business School). “I had been looking for an MBA programme for some years but did not really find the right one. Then the Blue MBA took my attention, as it has a strong focus on logistics, which was important for me by way of motivation, as I could do most of the assignments around the needs of DFDS.”
He added: “Many MBA programmes look much the same, and for me it was important to choose an international school with a high level of recognition. I felt from the start that the CBS was very professional, and the Blue MBA is unmatched in the world for focus on shipping and logistics.”
Participating in the Blue MBA programme Class of 2023 “has increased my analytic and theoretical toolbox, teaching me to approach things in a different and more structured way, for example in the areas of change management, and integration of mergers and acquisitions. Going forward I find this to be an optimal combination of academic education combined with my experience of almost 30 years in shipping.”
Mr Hoffmann is strongly internationally oriented, having worked in several countries and entrepreneurial sectors. How has the Blue MBA’s diverse participant composition and its global outlook been of benefit to him? “I think that in this way, we all in the class get a wider perspective on shipping, as we have touched on most sectors during our two years there. In addition, we learn from each other during the sessions on leadership.”
What challenges does he see in the Mediterranean and neighbouring region to running smooth shipping operations, given the geopolitical upheavals of the last year and more? “This could need a long answer, but I think that importantly, stability is the greatest need,” he says diplomatically.
Mr Hoffmann has since 1998 been in various chief executive and director posts in shipping and logistics, and sees his core competencies as people management, and business development and expansion “in a very structured way.” His international outlook led him to work and live in Dubai from 2014 to 2015, for some of his time in Kiel where he ran the DFDS agency in 2018 and 2019, and in Istanbul since then.
At the firm Shipping.dk, he prepared a strategy for changing the company from a small shipbroker with 20 employees in one location, to a logistics company covering Europe with 150 employees and 18 offices. He had similar duties working for a separate company in Dubai, which involved much travel to West Africa to meet customers and suppliers and liaise with shipyards. At DFDS, he served from 2015 to 2019 as route, terminal, and agency director, drawing up a strategy for changing the group’s terminal and freight set-up in Denmark to a more dynamic and customer-driven organisation, completed at the end of 2017.
After that he turned to building a strategy for the Mediterranean. DFDS acquired a Turkish company in 2018 with 1,000 employees, 12 vessels and 25 to 30 trains into Europe weekly. That Black Sea and Mediterranean network — “lean and high frequency” – now involves 20 vessels and more than 80 trains weekly. His task has been to integrate the Turkish business unit into DFDS and align the structure with the rest of the group.
He was earlier asked to streamline and outsource to third-party suppliers the DFDS terminal at Esbjerg, which he did, achieving significant savings, and was appointed to the group’s mergers and acquisitions team.
Among his professional and individual interests in recent years have been car dealership, sports management, and events – his personal company, a “spare time” activity, is committed to promoting his esteemed port city of Fredericia and has participated in arranging concerts and other events there.
