Marco Hirsch, Managing Director and Chief Sales Officer (CSO) at Boxxport.com, is a passionate leader who balances fatherhood and business drive to leverage the best of both worlds. Prior to this, they held various positions at DB Schenker from September 2020 to December 2021, including Head of Strategic Growth Transatlantic (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), Area Director for Ocean Central USA, and Business Development Manager. From September 2015 to March 2018, they were also the team leaders for export to Asia, the Pacific, and Europe/Middle East/Africa at DB Schenker. Prior to that, he worked as the team leader Export Asia/Pacific at Elsped Speditionsgesellschaft mbH from October 2012 to August 2013, and as Project Manager Export from August 2009 to September 2012.
Marco graduated with a degree in Logistics, Material, and Supply Chain Management from the Verkehrs und Wirtschaftsakademie VWA Frankfurt. Marco also holds a certification from Hessische Verwaltungs- und WirtschaftsAkademie VWA gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mbH in “DiplomBetriebswirt VWA” and a certification from DB Schenker in “DB Schenker Logistics Assistent.”
BOXXPORT.com is the world’s largest online container trading platform, bringing buyers and sellers from all over the world together to trade containers online. The t eam assists in managing all aspects of the marketplace with a few clicks, whether it’s stocks, sales, orders, or depots. Transparency being a major void in the container trading industry, it ensured that the entire container trading process was completely transparent through BOXXPORT. Marco states, “You optimise the process from the start and find yourself in a smooth, dependable, and efficient online marketplace that speaks of no constraints and only opportunities.”
Below are highlights of the interview conducted beween World’s Leaders and Marco Hirsch:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
I’m a driven leader who is balancing fatherhood and business to get the best of both worlds.
The world is changing daily and so is the work environment. We are shifting from being driven by money and status to a new generation of employees with clear boundaries, ideas, and expectations.
I, myself, have been experiencing these changes during my personal and professional journeys.
Describe your background and what did you do before you started/joined the company?
My path led me from my apprenticeship (and the work I did as an entry-level employee) to the director level of one of the top 5 logistics companies. Currently, I’m the managing director of a worldwide operating digital startup that is about to expand its international footprint.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
I started my journey with Boxxport GmbH right after my return from the United States. Me and my family spent 3 years working and living in Chicago, IL, and Jersey City, NJ.
Next to my daily task as the managing director, my main focus is on the development of our sales and internationalization strategies. The vision of the company and my team is giving me energy and happiness to keep pushing and growing.
There are a lot of different topics to cover for somebody who starts in their first leadership role. I would advise two things: 1) Be open and ready to learn every day. 2) Stay curious and question yourself to grow as a person and a leader.
Which are the major services of the company and how do they the company to get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
At BOXXPORT, we believe strongly in teamwork, synergies, 1+1=3, diversity, and letting everyone build on his personal strengths. So, our organization strongly builds on teamwork. Nevertheless, inspiring leaders are a great match for this.
How do you currently describe your core business?
- Digital container marketplace
- Help buy and sell containers online/fast/global/fullydigital/ easy
- Link buyers and sellers globally
Below are the product(s) and feature(s) that Boxxport offers:
- option to sell/buy containers online
- option to negotiate fully automated online
- option to see worldwide unmet container demand via container radar (for sellers)
- option to raise a unmet container request via container radar (for the buyer)
- option to resell container at buyers redelivery location for a predefined price (buy back)
- many more customer services (i.e. full service upload)
Scale up globally
- Focus markets USA (subsidiary 2022)
- And China, plus others in SouthEasAsia, India etc.
Enlarge service portfolio
- Buy Back added in August
- Leasing will follow in 2022
- Saas-Solution (CRM/ERP finance tool for small companies) in 2022
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
Startup culture: flat hierarchy, fun, dynamic, very diverse, energetic.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Our business model is based on innovating the container trading industry, transitioning from an oldfashioned, e-mail or phone-based way of doing business with (only) your long-term contacts to a globally connected, transparent digital marketplace where you can interact, trade, and negotiate with everyone around the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in a fast and convenient manner.
