What it does: Damco is a leading international provider of freight forwarding services based in Denmark, with over 11,000 employees across over 100 offices worldwide.
Best known for: Being the logistical arm of the Maersk conglomerate, one of the largest overseas cargo carriers in the world.
Financials: Recently earned a revenue of over US $38 million, resulting in over $16.7 million in profit before tax.
The good: Excellent logistics experience.
The not so good: Poor career progression.
Hiring grads with degrees in: business and management; supply chain and logistics.
In 1905, a father and son duo by the name of Møller started a shipping company in Svendborg, Denmark. They had a single ship, starting by ferrying goods between Germany and Rotterdam.
By 1918 the company had grown substantially and continued throughout the 20th century, eventually encompassing global airfreight services to become Damco Sea & Air. It established consolidation services throughout Asia, eventually acquiring a US logistics company to satisfy demand.
Damco kept acquiring companies into the 21st century, including a Chinese air freight business and an Australian logistics network, allowing it to expand its influence more than ever. It has come a long way since a single ship sailing the Rhine over 100 years ago, but its passion for smooth logistics hasn’t aged a day.
Damco periodically offers a graduate program to applicants around the world. This is a two-year program, featuring full-time professional work experience, as well as several business school modules to train applicants further. The program features regular mentoring as well as the opportunity to work on global projects, making it an excellent way to build skills and enter the logistics business. If none are currently being offered in Bangladesh, it’s possible to get experience at one of their offices elsewhere.
If travel isn’t an option, consider starting with an internship, either while you write your final thesis, as a module in your course or as an insight into the business after you graduate. While not as extensive as a graduate program, they’re an easier way in and don’t require any formal job openings.
Beyond internships and graduate programs, Damco can sometimes have a habit of relegating employees to specific roles and being content to leave them there, meaning promotions can come very slowly. The hours are often good in most roles, with pay being modest, making it a great place to stay if you’re not particularly concerned about career growth. But if you want to climb the corporate ladder, it’s ill-advised to stay here beyond about four years, or until you stop feeling like it’s a challenge.
The international graduate program is often advertised across their social media, particularly LinkedIn. You’ll often see openings in countries across the world, so stay patient for an opening in Bangladesh. They’ll want to see not only a CV, but proof of English language competency, requiring an International English Language Testing System score of 6.0/9.0 or above. You can find videos online of what this level of competency looks like. It’s also a big plus if you can speak a little mandarin. They’re a global shipping business after all!
The internships are far less strict, as there’s no formal recruitment process for them. It’s just a matter of contacting your local office by phone and telling them why you’d be interested in an internship there, stating what level of study you’re currently doing. There are two main offices in Bangladesh; one in Chittagong and another in Dhaka, so you’ll have to relocate if you’re situated elsewhere. They’ll then assess if there’s a need for your help and call you back if you get the position. Easy!
Damco sees themselves as having four guiding ‘brand attributes’: