Long-Serving Board Member Dieter Spark Bids Farewell to DAKOSY After Four Decades
Long-serving board member Dieter Spark is retiring
The 65-year-old greatly influenced DAKOSY’s evolution into one of the leading software providers for logistics and as a community operator for seaports and airports.
Hamburg, 04.12.2023 – Long-standing DAKOSY board member Dieter Spark will retire at the end of the year. His career, which began in 1982, is closely intertwined with the Hamburg-based software company.
Spark witnessed the birth of the then-startup DAKOSY in 1982 while working in the office during his university studies. Two years later, after graduating from the University of Hamburg, the young industrial engineer became one of the first permanent employees of the company at the age of 24. Over the ensuing years, he made his way through all departments at the company, gaining broad expertise in IT, logistics, and customs procedures.
In 2002, Spark was appointed to the board of directors together with Ulrich Wrage. With the financial support of the shareholders, the board duo continued to develop the company over the next two decades into one of the leading software companies for logistics and as a community operator for seaports and airports. Important milestones have included establishing the FAIR@Link community platform at Frankfurt Airport, strengthening the freight software business through the acquisition of the Bremen-based software provider CargoSoft GmbH, and the ongoing expansion across the customs software field.
Jens Hansen, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at DAKOSY, acknowledges Spark’s contributions: “Dieter Spark has significantly shaped DAKOSY’s development over the past decades. With his forward-looking and sustainable commitment and expertise, the company has become essential to our port and forwarding world.”
The broad portfolio distribution is reflected in the company’s figures: the team that initially consisted of seven employees now numbers 200 employees, serving over 3,000 customers. “With foresight, highly-developed IT and logistics know-how, and a keen sense for practical solutions and IT trends, Dieter Spark has substantially influenced and propelled our digital solutions for all transport chain participants. He has executed the role of Chief Visionary Officer in a way that has guided us to establish pioneering digital solutions for the logistics industry as a software provider for customs and freight applications and as a community platform operator for seaports and airports,” explains Board colleague and longtime associate Ulrich Wrage.
Simon Lembke appointed as successor
DAKOSY will continue to be led by a dual management team. Simon Lembke was appointed to the board as of September 1, 2023. The business informatics graduate joined the company in 2004 and was most recently the department head of customs and freight applications.
