The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) has appointed Thorsten Neumann as its first-ever full-time president and chief executive officer with a remit to grow its reputation.
TAPA has tasked Heumann with making it the world’s leading end-to-end supply chain resilience association and to deliver more risk management solutions for TAPA’s rapidly growing membership of manufacturers, logistics service providers and other supply chain security stakeholders.
Neumann takes up his role on 1 June 2019. He has served in a voluntary capacity as chairman of TAPA’s Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region since 2006, alongside his responsibilities as, most recently, director APS channel security & business resilience at Microsoft Corporation.
Over the last 13 years, he has been part of a TAPA EMEA leadership team which has delivered unprecedented growth and benefits for the Association’s more than 410 member companies and partners in EMEA.
The Board of Directors’ decision to appoint a full-time president & CEO follows an 18-month consultative period during which the association, with the help of independent advisors, considered the most effective steps to take TAPA EMEA to the next level.
TAPA EMEA vice chair, Jason Breakwell said: “The appointment of a President & CEO for TAPA EMEA is now so important because it gives us the consistency and stability of leadership we need. It heralds the next stage of our ambition to take supply chain resilience into the Boardrooms of even more industry leaders and for it to become embedded in their corporate strategies.
“Having decided to create this new post, Thorsten was always the clear choice to take the role. He has outstanding security expertise and is highly respected by our members, partners and within the Government departments and regulatory bodies we are increasingly working alongside.
“Above all, he has a passion and vision for TAPA that will build the profile and growth we need to future-proof our Association for our members. I am also delighted to announce that Marcel Saarloos, EMEA Supply Chain Security Manager of HP – a founder member company of TAPA – will now step up to become Chairman of TAPA EMEA.”
In the EMEA region, TAPA’s membership, industry standards certifications and incident intelligence are at their highest level in the association’s 22-year history as more manufacturers and logistics service providers increase their focus on supply chain resilience to avoid becoming victims of the annual multi-billion Euro threat to goods being stored and transported.
Today, the association’s members include global brand names in industries including the technology, pharmaceutical, automotive, clothing and footwear, cosmetics and hygiene, food and drink, furniture and household appliances and metal sectors as well as their logistics partners.
TAPA is also actively engaged with law enforcement agencies across EMEA, Europol, INTERPOL, the European Commission and other regulatory bodies.
Neumann said: “I am extremely proud and excited to be taking this role. TAPA is an outstanding industry association which delivers real value for its members. However, we all know that with extra time and focus, we can achieve even more.
“With Supply Chain Resilience and Security at the heart of our TAPA 2020 strategy, we will most certainly continue to leverage the great knowledge, expertise and support of our members but now I have been given the opportunity to work even more proactively on behalf of our Board and members to accelerate our transformation to become the leading end-to-end supply chain industry association.
“As TAPA grows its visibility and influence, it will give us a platform to provide even more membership solutions which prevent cargo crime and keep supply chains secure. With virtually every product moving in supply chains now at risk from crime, this is the right time for TAPA to show this ambition. Risks to supply chain security impact companies, consumers and national economies. We will continue to reduce these risks at an ever-faster rate.”
