DP World: Delivering Cricket

Following the recent news that saw logistics company DP World announced as a global partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC), we caught up with Danny van Otterdijk, DP World Chief Communications Officer, and Anurag Dahiya, ICC Chief Commercial Officer, to discuss the inner workings of their maiden partnership.

“It’s hard to put exact date to it, but I think sometime early this year or late last year is when the idea started taking shape of an association between DP World with ICC,” says Dahiya, recalling the inception of an agreement that officially kicked off at the ICC World Test Championship Final in London between India and Australia on Wednesday 7^th June.

“We’re both based out of Dubai, so in some ways it’s funny that we didn’t get together before this. It was a partnership which was long overdue, but I think the growing presence that DP World has within cricket gave them that insight into how much the sport is valued and viewed globally,” he adds, referencing DP World’s existing partnerships with the India Premier League’s Delhi Capitals, Johannesburg-based Imperial Lions and the UAE’s International League T20 competition.

With a portfolio that also includes golf and motorsport – most significantly title sponsorship of the European Tour and an official partner status with McLaren Racing – DP World could’ve just as easily turned to other sports to expand its presence within sport, however, according to van Otterdijk, it’s both the scale and geographical alignment of cricket which makes it the perfect fit.

“Cricket for us is a great sport for us to engage with our customers and our stakeholders, to contribute to the community that we serve and work within and to build our brand.

Danny van Otterdijk

“India is an incredibly important market for us, as is Pakistan for that matter. In fact, India is probably our second most important market in our portfolio of some-hundred countries. From that perspective, when you look at our footprint in the UK, or at our four ports in Australia and South Africa, if you look at the world map where our predominant assets and logistics assets are and then overlay that where cricket is played, it all of a sudden becomes very obvious as to why we’re doing what we’re doing,” he adds.

The multi-year agreement covers all major ICC events in men’s and women’s cricket, including the T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and, perhaps most significantly, the Cricket World Cup. Taking place in India later this year and predicted by the ICC and Dahiya to be the “biggest ever”, van Otterdijk points to the upcoming tournament as a highlight of the multi-year partnership, and one that will earn DP World Tour exposure in traditionally non-cricket-playing areas as well.

“From a cricketing perspective, it is the most watched competition globally, not just by the countries participating,” says van Otterdijk, a self-proclaimed cricket purist who, despite his Dutch heritage, labels himself as New Zealand and Kane Williamson fan. “There’s an awful lot of viewership outside the countries that are participating. Even in new countries, for example, the Netherlands, Afghanistan, Scotland, even in Ireland, cricket is becoming a more relatable sport.”

With global reach established, as to where he sees the partnership playing out from an activation perspective, the affable Dutchman points to three key areas of focus, brand building chief amongst them.

“TVCs and show sponsorships is a great way to do that. It’s in your face, on your screen or in your home. Secondly, to use those two stakeholders that are important to us, our customers. First and foremost, it’s great to engage with them in a hospitality environment rather than in an office or meeting room. And also, we do a lot of social responsibility work in our communities,” he says.

“Cricket is a great way to give back to society, to work with schools and entities in society that are important to us. In countries like Australia, South Africa, India, and in the UK, cricket is a great way to do that, that’s why it makes so much sense for us”

With other logistics partners readily available and also considered as part of the ICC’s diligence process, Van Otterdijk’s last point around corporate social responsibility and desire use the game’s platform for good to something that Dahiya says stood out for the international governing body.

“I think there was an alignment both philosophically and in vision,” Dahiya explains. “DP World has a vision to make trade flow better, to change what’s possible for everyone. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but when you get into that sentiment, it mirrors what our sport is about and what our commitment is, which is to make cricket more accessible and more enjoyable worldwide.        

“Therefore, it’s not just their expertise in end-to-end supply chain logistics that they bring to the table, but their shared values of inclusivity, innovation and community engagement. Their commitment to sport, specifically to cricket, and their commitment to use it as a force for positive community impact and their support with our purpose led initiatives. I think all of that really combined to make them a standout candidate for us.”

Naturally, the company’s services will be utilised throughout the partnership, however, unlike in Formula 1 where DP World’s ambition is to support the movement of McLaren’s “kit and caboodle around the 20-odd racetracks around the world”, cricket requires remarkably few items of equipment to play. As such, although DP World will ship various competition materials on behalf of the ICC going forwards, both van Otterdijk and Dahiya are quick to downplay the importance of DP World’s logistical expertise in getting the deal signed and sealed.

“We move nearly 80 million containers a year and cricket moves maybe a few hundred. So, it’s a drop in the ocean, but nonetheless, we can utilise our capabilities to support cricket and to move things around. We can contribute, even if it’s in a small way, to actually being part of how the ICC operates, but we try not to overplay that because obviously it’s not huge,” van Otterdijk explains.

“What really makes me excited is not just the tournament logistics part of it, but also DP World’s involvement with our initiatives.”

Anurag Dahiya

“For example, the Criiio Cricket Programme, really needs a boost in terms of logistical support,” Dahiya continues. “It’s a programme that’s aimed at popularising cricket across the world, across our footprint of 108 member nations, many of whom have very small numbers of people yet introduced to the sport. Criiio actually aims to accelerate that process by introducing informal playing of the sport. So, there’s a massive logistical challenge that we face there and that was identified very early on in our conversations with DP World as an impact area, so I’m very excited about that.”

That sentiment of using sport, and specifically cricket, for good at a local level is sentiment echoed by van Otterdijk.

“As an operator, we always employ locally. We’re in about 93 or 94 different countries around the world and we have a principle of always employing local people. If you’re on the boarder of Karachi, Pakistan, we employ Pakistanis. If you’re in Luanda, Angola, we work with Angolans.

“That’s really important to build social relevance. You want to be part of the fabric of society and the places where you operate, and we find that the sport of cricket is a great way to engage. You can bring cricket easily to schools, to local clubs and communities. It’s such an easy way to bring people together. For us, it’s another key part that people probably don’t see as very sexy because it’s not on TV and you can’t see it on billboards or anything. But for us, that outreach opportunity to bring something to society that allows us to be part of it, is a great thing.“

Danny van Otterdijk (L) and Anurag Dahiya (R)