Their roles couldn't be more different: from Commercial and Finance to International and People, Governance & Compliance. Their career paths are just as varied, yet despite those differences, their stories reveal a shared approach to leadership, one built on curiosity, resilience and a genuine commitment to people.
Meet the leaders
Natasja Mouton is DPD South Africa's Chief Commercial Officer. Having started her logistics career in sales in 2008, she's passionate about building lasting customer relationships and leading teams through change.
Heidi Meintjes is DPD South Africa's Chief Financial Officer. She believes finance plays a vital role in turning ideas into practical business solutions that create sustainable value.
Dinah Brummer is DPD South Africa's Chief People, Governance and Compliance Officer. She has built her career across occupational health and safety, governance, compliance and people leadership, and is passionate about creating workplaces where people feel supported, trusted and empowered to perform.
Marelize Boshoff is DPD South Africa's International Director. She has spent more than 20 years in logistics, helping strengthen international business while building long-term partnerships across borders.
Lesson 1: There's no single path into a career in logistics
No two careers look the same, and these four leaders are no exception. Dinah's career began in occupational health and safety before expanding into risk, governance, compliance and eventually people leadership. Looking back, she says she was always drawn to roles where she could improve the way businesses operate while working closely with people.
Heidi, meanwhile, discovered logistics through career growth. It wasn’t something she had planned, but she quickly found herself drawn to an industry where every day presents a new challenge. "I immediately loved the dynamic environment, you never know what the next day has in store, never a dull moment. There are enough challenges and problems to solve to keep you busy for a lifetime!"
For Natasja, one lesson shaped her career from the very beginning. Success in sales meant understanding every part of the business, not just the customer. "You can’t sell what you don’t understand and can’t do yourself, so get out on the road and see what a courier goes through every day." That mindset has stayed with her throughout her career, helping her build credibility with customers and the teams she leads.
After more than two decades in the industry, Marelize still describes logistics in simple terms. "For me, logistics has never just been about moving a parcel from one place to another. It’s about connecting people, businesses, and opportunities."
Their journeys into logistics may have been different, but each found an industry that challenged them, kept them learning and gave them opportunities to grow.
Lesson 2: Credibility is earned
The courier and logistics industry has traditionally been male dominated, and each woman has experienced moments where she had to prove herself.
For Dinah, credibility came from preparation, consistency and having the confidence to contribute, even when the conversations were difficult. "I have also learnt that I do not need to change who I am to succeed in a male-dominated environment. I can be direct and still lead with empathy, and I can expect accountability while treating people fairly and with respect."
Heidi remembers often being the only woman in management meetings and operational discussions early in her career. Marelize focused on understanding her customers, knowing her product and consistently delivering results. Natasja, meanwhile, speaks about the importance of working with leaders who recognised contribution rather than gender and encouraged her to keep growing.
Although their experiences differ, none of them describe trying to fit a particular mould. Instead, they built trust by doing the work, continuing to learn and remaining true to themselves.
Lesson 3: Leadership starts with people
Ask these four leaders what leadership means to them and the conversation quickly shifts away from targets and performance metrics. Instead, they talk about people.
For Natasja, leadership starts with relationships. Listening has been central to her success throughout her career, helping her understand customers, build trust and create lasting partnerships. "When you genuinely connect and invest in people, both internally and externally, you don’t just gain business or build a friendship, you build trust and with that comes loyalty to support you."
Dinah shares a similar view. As Chief People, Governance and Compliance Officer, she believes leadership is about creating an environment where people understand what's expected of them, feel supported and are comfortable asking questions or raising concerns. Good governance, she says, shouldn't create unnecessary rules; it should help people make better decisions.
For Marelize, people are the foundation of everything. Whether she’s working with colleagues, customers or international partners, she believes lasting success starts with investing in relationships. "People are our greatest asset. When you invest in your team, build trust, and create opportunities for others to succeed, incredible things happen."
Heidi approaches leadership through collaboration. Finance, she believes, works best when it’s closely connected to every part of the business. Understanding the operational realities behind the numbers allows better decisions to be made and creates opportunities for innovation and sustainable growth. "To me, financial leadership is not about asking, ‘Can we afford to do this?’. It is about asking, ‘How can we make this possible while creating sustainable value for the business?’"
While each woman leads a different part of DPD South Africa, they're united by the same belief: successful businesses are built by investing in people.
Lesson 4: Success is measured by the people you lift
Each leader measures success a little differently. For Natasja, one of her proudest moments has been leading her team through significant change, including DPD International's relaunch. Rather than focusing on the change itself, she speaks about guiding people through uncertainty and helping them embrace new opportunities together.
Dinah points to her appointment as Chief People, Governance and Compliance Officer as an important milestone, not because of the title, but because it gave her the opportunity to influence how DPD supports its people while strengthening governance and accountability across the business.
For Heidi, the highlight was DPD South Africa being recognised as Geopost’s 2026 Business of the Year: Rest of World. "It talks to a team who has stood together during really difficult times and achieved amazing things." Marelize is equally proud of helping grow DPD South Africa’s international operations, strengthening partnerships and contributing to the future of cross-border logistics in South Africa.
Their achievements are different, but one thing stands out: none of them define success as an individual accomplishment. Instead, they talk about the teams they've worked with, the relationships they've built and the opportunities they've created for others.
The stories shared by Natasja, Heidi, Dinah and Marelize show that there isn't a single path into the logistics industry. Whether your interests lie in operations, commercial, finance, technology, customer service or people, there are opportunities to learn, grow and build a meaningful career.
Thank you to these four outstanding women, whose leadership is instrumental to our executive team and who continue to inspire, innovate and lead the way. DM
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