As Paul Clegg, vice president for HR at DHL Express SSA reflects on more than 30 years in HR, he’s also celebrating a personal milestone – 30 years of marriage. Over the same period, he’s built a career that spans continents, industries and the full spectrum of people management.
Paul Clegg started his career in the early 1990s at Dulux, where he learnt the fundamentals of HR. Thirty years later, he leads the people function for DHL Express SSA – a role that perfectly combines his passion for people development with his strategic business acumen.
His ambition was clear from the start and his desire to climb the corporate ladder led him to a security company that operates across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where he quickly progressed from a divisional HR manager to the group HR director.
Although he wasn’t sure whether to pursue psychology or education after studying applied psychology and history at the University of the Witwatersrand in the late 1980s, his father suggested he try human resources and introduced him to a consulting firm that would change his career trajectory forever.
“After one conversation with a consultant there, I was immediately intrigued,” Paul recalls. He went on to complete postgraduate studies in HR at the Wits Business School, and quickly moved through a series of increasingly senior roles, gaining experience across industries.
While his calling to HR had been bubbling under the surface for years, it was during his 20-year stint in the security industry that he discovered his greatest strength: getting the best out of people and maximising their contribution to the organisation.
But it was his move to DHL Express SSA that truly defined his career. Now serving as VP of HR for SSA since 2017, Paul oversees HR functions across 42 countries.
A great place for all
“HR has always felt like home,” Paul explains. “Walking the HR journey alongside people from beginning to end has kept me going and made the role fulfilling.”
Paul sees his role as having two key responsibilities. The first one is championing DHL's four-pillar strategy, which begins with the first pillar of having motivated employees. The other key responsibility is making DHL a great place to work for all – not for some, not for many, but for everyone.
The results speak for themselves. DHL’s employee retention has been so successful that it’s created an unexpected challenge for workforce succession planning because people simply don’t want to leave. Their voluntary staff turnover for the whole region is consistently less than five percent, which for a predominantly blue-collar environment is exceptionally low.
“I firmly believe our strategies for keeping staff motivated are paying off,” Paul notes.
The numbers back up his confidence. DHL Express SSA’s employee engagement rate across the continent sits at an impressive 90 percent, based on the annual employee survey. Even more telling, external benchmarking conducted by the Great Place to Work Institute ranks DHL as the number one ranked company in the world. It has been ranked in the top two great companies in the world to work for, for the past five years.
Innovation drives much of Paul's approach to HR. Over the past eight years, his team has embraced significant technological developments and more recently delved into the world of artificial intelligence.
“We’ve used technology to integrate our different policies and platforms, making them easily accessible,” he explains. “Today, most employees can access their career marketplace, submit leave applications, search for company vacancies and submit online applications, social media engagement, participate in company surveys and more – all through any smart device. It’s been quite a substantial digital transformation journey.”
Putting employees needs first
They are now introducing a new applicant tracking system for recruitment and selection that will have AI embedded in the system. “AI is going to help make the assessment process manageable. For instance, recently, the team had to go through 700 applications for a job listing, without AI, evaluating that many applicants would be a mammoth task,” he said.
Looking ahead, the team plans to use AI to refine searches and identify the right candidates more efficiently. But it’s not just about efficiency – it’s about employee experience.
“When someone can apply for something as simple as leave from the comfort of their home, it shows we’re putting their needs at the forefront,” Paul continues.
DHL Express SSA has also made significant strides in talent acquisition by forging partnerships with higher education institutions to attract young graduates. The company recently also launched a Gen Z programme to actively bring more entry-level young employees into the business.
“The DHL4Her initiative focuses on securing a diverse and equitable gender balance across all grades and functions, developing women for future leadership positions and has been remarkably successful. DHL’s sub-Saharan Africa operations now have the best women's representation across the entire DHL Express Division.”
Paul’s success stems from his genuine belief that HR is about people first. His approach combines strategic thinking with authentic care for employee wellbeing, supported by innovative technology and sustainable business practices.
As DHL continues to grow across sub-Saharan Africa, Paul's leadership demonstrates that when you invest in people and create an environment where they can thrive, exceptional business results naturally follow. His story serves as a blueprint for HR leaders looking to make a meaningful impact in today's rapidly evolving workplace.
In addition to overseeing HR functions across multiple geographies, Paul has successfully raised three remarkable sons.
“My firstborn is working and married, so he’s off the payroll,” he jokes. “My second-born is completing a master’s in biomedical engineering at UCT, and my last-born just completed matric and is on a gap year.”
