Kuehne+Nagel logistics pioneer Klaus-Michael Kühne dies aged 89

Klaus-Michael Kühne, the long-standing driving force behind global logistics provider Kuehne+Nagel, has died at the age of 89.

Kühne died in Schindellegi, Switzerland, during the night of August 23-24, according to Kuehne+Nagel. His death brings to an end an almost seven-decade association with the logistics company that his grandfather, August Kühne, co-founded in Bremen in 1890.

Kühne joined the family business in 1958 and became chairman of the management board of Kuehne+Nagel Speditions-AG in 1966. He became chief executive of Kuehne+Nagel International in 1975 and served as chairman of its board of directors from 1992 until 2011. He remained honorary chairman from 2011 until his death.

During that period, Kühne helped transform what had been a traditional freight forwarding company into one of the world's largest logistics providers, spanning ocean and air freight, road transport and contract logistics.

Today, Kuehne+Nagel employs around 88,000 people across more than 1,300 locations in close to 100 countries and serves approximately 400,000 customers. The company describes itself as the global market leader in air and sea logistics, alongside substantial road and contract logistics operations.

"With the death of Klaus-Michael, a visionary, a great entrepreneur and an impressive personality has passed away. Our thoughts are with his widow, Christine Kühne. The board of directors and the entire company will preserve a highly honourable memory of Klaus-Michael Kühne," said Dr. Jörg Wolle, president of the board of directors of Kühne+Nagel International AG.

Stefan Paul, CEO of Kuehne+Nagel, said Kühne “stood for logistics and global trade like no other”, adding that he had played a significant role in shaping modern international supply chains.

Kuehne+Nagel's automotive logistics expansion

Kuehne+Nagel has become an important global provider to the automotive industry, with operations covering inbound and production logistics, aftermarket and spare parts, packaging, tyre and reverse logistics, battery supply chains and finished vehicle logistics. Its position in the sector has continued to expand beyond Kühne's period of operational leadership, including investment in cross-border infrastructure and logistics for the growing EV sector.

In 2025, Kuehne+Nagel signed an agreement with Chinese carmaker Changan to develop EV battery and spare parts logistics in Europe. The partnership covers the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France, supported by Kuehne+Nagel's 22,000 sq.m automotive campus in Helmond in the Netherlands.

The logistics provider has also been expanding its North American automotive infrastructure. It doubled cross-dock capacity on the US-Mexico border with a new 40,000 sq.m facility in Laredo, Texas, consolidating three previous operations as it responded to increasing demand for cross-border and nearshoring services.

That followed an earlier investment in El Paso, where Kuehne+Nagel consolidated four cross-border warehouses into a 33,700 sq.m cross-dock supporting automotive raw materials and components moving between the US and Mexico.

More recently, Ian Slaven, vice-president of global sales and vertical lead for automotive at Kuehne+Nagel, described the automotive supply chain as facing a “poly crisis” of geopolitical shifts, technological disruption and volatile demand.

Kühne's wider logistics empire

Kühne's influence on the transport and logistics sector stretched well beyond the company carrying his family name. His investment interests included major stakes in container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd and airline Lufthansa, giving his wider business interests exposure to ocean and air transport alongside Kuehne+Nagel's freight forwarding and contract logistics operations.

According to Handelsblatt, Kühne's investment structure held around 53% of Kuehne+Nagel, 30% of Hapag-Lloyd and more than 20% of Lufthansa, where it was the largest individual shareholder.

Kühne's investment in Hapag-Lloyd was particularly significant. He invested heavily in the Hamburg-based shipping line at a time when it required long-term shareholders, helping the company retain its connection to his home city. Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said following Kühne's death that the entrepreneur had stood by the shipping company when it needed strong and reliable shareholders.

The scale of those holdings means Kühne's legacy extends across several of the companies that underpin global freight flows, from forwarding and contract logistics to container shipping and air transport.

Attention will consequently turn to the long-term stewardship of his investments. Kühne had no children and had established structures around the Kühne Foundation and his business holdings ahead of his death. Handelsblatt reported that his foundation controlled his major investments, including the controlling interest in Kuehne+Nagel.

For Kuehne+Nagel itself, however, operational management and corporate governance have long since passed to an established executive and board structure, with Stefan Paul serving as CEO and Joerg Wolle as chairman.

Kühne's lasting impact lies in the scale of the logistics business he helped create. From joining the family company in 1958 to the global supply chain group Kuehne+Nagel is today, his career tracked and helped shape the transformation of freight forwarding into the integrated, global logistics industry serving automotive manufacturers and suppliers around the world.