DHL named Hans Hickler, who led the U.S. business for the express carrier until a major restructuring, to run the division aimed at its largest corporate customers.

Hickler, who is also a former president of APL Logsitics, becomes chief executive officer of DHL's global customer solutions group.

Hickler had been CEO of DHL Express in the United States since September 2006 when he was replaced in May by Ken Allen under a larger overhaul that will have the subsidiary of Deutsche Post scale back its operations in North America.

DHL said Hickler will focus on the company's global customer service initiative called First Choice. "A commitment to deliver service excellence and ongoing applicable solutions for our customers is a key priority. As such, we will focus on continuing to develop an efficient, service-oriented organization that best addresses our customers' requirements," said Hickler.

Hickler also is chairman of the DHL Global Commercial Board, which was recently created to "address, solve and leverage commercial priorities" for DHL business units.