Speakers

Day 1

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 09:00

Registration, Networking & Exhibition Opens

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 12:00

Networking Lunch in Exhibition Area

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 13:00

Conference Opening & Welcome

Thorsten Neumann, President & CEO, & Marcel Saarloos, Chair, TAPA EMEA

Summary: A welcome to our biggest-ever TAPA EMEA Annual Conference andthank you to our delegates, speakers, panellists, 2026 Premier Partners, and other exhibitors for joining us at the Metronom Theater Oberhausen.

Speaker profiles:

Thorsten has 20 years’ experience in leadership roles in the Industrial Loss Prevention & Security industries. After joining the Transported Asset Protection Association’s (TAPA) Board of Directors in the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region in 2003, he went on to serve as Chairman of TAPA EMEA between 2006 and 2019 before being appointed as the supply chain security and resilience Association’s first-ever full-time President & CEO in 2020. Thorsten is a NATO Civil Expert for Transportation, Communication & Cyber Threats. Earlier in his career, Thorsten spent 10 years with Motorola and 7 years with Nokia, initially as Head of Supply Chain Security and ultimately holding the position of Chief Security Operation Officer. Following the acquisition of Nokia in 2013, he joined Microsoft, holding Director roles in Europe and the United States. In 2025, Thorsten was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the German Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) and inducted into the Security Hall of Fame in recognition of his personal contribution to advancing the security industry.

Marcel isRegional Security Manager, HP Inc., and Chair of TAPA EMEA, leading the Association’s Board of Directors in support of the President & CEO of TAPA EMEA and the region’s professional team. On the TAPA EMEA Board, he has previously held responsibility for several key functions, including as Lead of the Standards Team and the Incident Intelligence Service (IIS) Team, and is a TAPA Standards’ trainer. In these roles, he has supported the growth of the TAPA Standards in EMEA and helped to expand the collection of cargo crime incident data to increase intelligence available to members to enhance their loss prevention programmes.

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 13:15

Our Agenda, Schedule, Rules of Engagement & Housekeeping

Sam Pauly, Moderator

Moderator profile:

Sam is a seasoned broadcast journalist who expertly navigates the intersections of health, science, and industry. As founder of SummitUp, she is actively involved in conferences, podcasts, and internal communications for organisations and companies across Europe. Adept at tackling varied and complex subjects and ensuring events run smoothly and to schedule, Sam has moderated TAPA EMEA’s Annual and Virtual Conferences since 2021, and now also works alongside host Thorsten Neumann on the new TAPA TALKS podcast.

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 13:20

Keynote Address: New Global Security Situation = New Security & Resilience Responsibilities in Globally Active Companies

Andreas Maack, Chief Security Officer, Volkswagen AG’s Group Security & Resilience Division

Summary:

Global operating companies and their supply chains face nowadays a security environment shaped by geopolitical tensions, hybrid threats, and increasingly sophisticated forms of digital crime. Disruptions no longer stem only from physical incidents or regional instability but also from the deliberate exploitation of complex and globally interconnected logistics networks. Conflicts in key regions, dependencies on raw materials, vulnerable transport corridors, and digitally enabled criminal schemes have become major risk drivers for globally active enterprises.

This places supply chain resilience at the top of the agenda for security functions. Digital crime phenomena such as phantom carriers, identity manipulation, and data driven fraud represent relatively new criminal methods that can lead to severe operational and financial harm. Conventional security and risk models are no longer capable of protecting supply chains effectively. Building resilience instead requires an integrated approach that unites physical security, cyber resilience, and data intelligence. Adaptive governance structures, shared intelligence among partners, and a clear focus on critical assets help organisations prioritise risks, secure essential trade routes, and maintain operational continuity.

Organisations that fail to view security as a strategic capability risk far more than a single lost shipment – they risk the collapse of their entire supply chain.

Speaker profile:

Andreas has been Chief Security Officer of Volkswagen AG’s Group Security & Resilience division since September 2021. In this role, he is responsible for the global security organisation and the associated strategic and operational risk detection, crisis management, and hazard prevention in a complex structure of physical and digital attack vectors. Before joining Volkswagen, he was responsible for the security organisations at Merck KGaA (2010-2018) and Bayer AG (2018-2021). His professional career began in 1991 as a Detective at the Federal Criminal Police Office in Wiesbaden, where he held various positions, including in the areas of counterterrorism, counterespionage, and serious and organised crime.

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 13:55

TAPA EMEA update & AGM

Thorsten Neumann, President & CEO, & Björn Hartong, Treasurer, TAPA EMEA

Summary:

In 2026, TAPA EMEA achieved another milestone as its membership community grew beyond 1,100 fee-paying organisations for the first time in the Association’s 26-year history in the Europe, Middle East & Africa region. This growth is also a clear reflection of more companies recognising the risk cargo crime presents to their businesses, and the potential reputational and financial impacts it can have if they are involved in a supply chain operation which suffers high-value losses.

In some cases, cargo thefts are very difficult to prevent. Sheer force and extreme violence are hard to regulate against, particularly when they come face-to-face with lone truck drivers and their truckloads of goods. But ignorance of cargo security risks, or a lack of any security processes or technologies to delay or prevent an attack and losses, is increasingly not acceptable to companies which entrust the storage and transportation of their products to third party suppliers.

As the TAPA EMEA Family grows, it is providing the Association with extra resources – and expectation – to deliver more supply chain security intelligence and loss prevention solutions. It’s a challenge the Association’s leadership team readily accepts. This session will report on the progress and performance of the Association, improvements and advancements in member benefits, and some of the new initiatives currently in development.

Speaker profiles:

Björn is a dedicated senior professional with more than 25 years’ experience in protecting company assets and proven contribution to organisational profitability. He has contributed to supply chains of theft sensitive goods on a global level using a risk-based Enterprise Supply Chain Risk & Security Management Approach to reduce financial losses and improve internal and external customer satisfaction. In order to better understand and communicate with all relevant supply chain stakeholders, Björn gained knowledge in security management with a Masters in corporate security management, ASIS CPP, the accreditation Certified Supply Chain Professional from the Association for Supply Chain Management and an MBA. The last 10 years, Bjorn has shared his expertise with a variety of customers insured via his employer Zurich Insurance but also through his active involvement in TAPA EMEA, as chair of the Supply Chain and Transportation Security Community of ASIS, as well as loss prevention committee member of IUMI (International Union of Marine Insurance).

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 14:45

Networking Break & Visit to the Exhibition

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 15:30

TAPA – A Global Supply Chain Security Perspective & Q&A Panel

TAPA Americas: Scott Cornell, Chair, & Jennifer Bennett, Vice Chair

TAPA APAC: Tony Lugg, Chair, & Alvin Lau, Executive Director

TAPA EMEA: Thorsten Neumann, President & CEO, Marcel Saarloos, Chair, & Antonio Knezevic, Vice Chair

Summary:

As a global industry Association, TAPA is focussed on cargo crime prevention and supply chain resilience across all three international regions: the Americas, Asia Pacific, and EMEA. In Oberhausen, we will be joined by Scott Cornell, Chair of TAPA AMERICAS, and Tony Lugg, Chair of TAPA APAC, as they present updates on the Association’s work, focus, and progress in their respective regions as well as the types of cargo security risks and trends impacting members’ supply chains in these geographies.

Scott and Tony will share 15-minute updates covering key developments in the AMERICAS and APAC regions.

Following their presentations, Scott and Tony will be joined by their regional Vice Chairs, Jennifer Bennett and Alvin Lau respectively, for a TAPA Global Q&A Panel, when they will also be joined by TAPA EMEA’s Chair, Marcel Saarloos, and Vice Chair, Antonio Knezevic, to give delegates the opportunity to ask their questions of TAPA’s global leadership teams in relation to topics such as the Association’s future goals, industry standards, intelligence solutions, training, and law enforcement collaboration.

Once again, delegates will be able to post their questions for the panel on the TAPA EMEA App.

Speaker profiles:

Scott is CRO, Transportation, Crime & Theft Specialist at Logistiq and has been in the Transportation Insurance Industry for 25 years, recently being named in the ‘Top 100 Insurance Executives’ list for 2025. Prior to Logistiq, Scott lead the Transportation Division at Travelers Insurance, building an innovative and industry-recognised brand of quality and customer service that brought new standards to the industry, including the creation of the first ever fully dedicated cargo theft unit housed within an insurance carrier in 2005, known as the Special Investigations Group (SIG). He has >30 years’ experience conducting investigations specialising in cargo theft and transportation, internal theft, embezzlement, and corporate investigations, and is the current Chair of TAPA AMERICAS.

Jennifer has been an active member of the Transported Asset Protection Association in the Americas for 12 years, serving as Secretary, Treasurer, and currently Vice Chair. Throughout her tenure, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing cargo security standards and strengthening industry collaboration, and serves as Chair of TAPA AMERICAS’ Law Enforcement Committee, where she leads efforts to build strategic partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. In this role, she helps set the agenda for the National Cargo Theft Summit. Her work focuses on fostering cooperation, enhancing intelligence sharing, and promoting solutions that reduce cargo theft across the supply chain.

Tony is a respected authority on supply chain security and risk management and currently serves as Managing Director of multiple companies across diverse sectors, including automotive, medical devices, and software. Previously, he held the position of Director of Logistics Purchasing and Centre of Excellence for Lear Corporation Asia Pacific, a leading global automotive manufacturer, as well as roles with other prominent manufacturers and international integrators. With a robust background in Supply Chain Management and the Digital Transformation of Procure-to-Pay (P2P) processes, Tony is a Certified TAPA Expert, focusing on supply chain resilience, risk mitigation, and security.

Alvin is the Executive Director of TAPA Asia Pacific, where he leads regional strategy, member growth, and the advancement of global supply chain security standards across one of the world’s most complex trade environments. With over 25 years of experience spanning logistics and multiple industries, he has held senior leadership roles in global organisations, driving large-scale operations and building high-performing teams. Alvin is a strong advocate for antifragile supply chains, helping organisations evolve beyond traditional risk management toward systems that strengthen under disruption. He is a recognised industry voice, regularly speaking on supply chain security, resilience, and emerging global risks, while actively shaping cross-industry collaboration and standards adoption across Asia Pacific.

Antonio is Head of Global Security and Operational Resilience within DHL Global Forwarding and a member of the TAPA EMEA Board of Directors, serving as Vice Chair, supporting the Executive team to become the undisputed supply chain security industry association, and to drive benefits for its members. He brings nearly 20 years of industry experience to this role. Earlier in his career, Antonio worked in the Logistics Department at Gucci Group, later spending over four years with Acer before joining DHL Global Forwarding in 2014.

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 16:30

A partnership approach to combatting Organised Supply Chain Crime

Jim Taylor, Head of Opal, the UK’s National Intelligence Unit for Serious and Organised Acquisitive Crime, and Kate Brummell, Head of Operations, Opal

Summary:

This session looks at a new capability in UK policing with a central intelligence team working with nationally and internationally to combat Organised Supply Chain Crime, sharing information with industry and focussing on keeping workers in the supply chain safe.

Speaker profiles:

Jim’s career spans 30 years of police service, latterly as a Detective Chief Superintendent, dedicating his career to investigating and disrupting the most serious criminal networks in the UK at local, regional, national and international levels. His extensive experience includes serving as a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) for homicide and serious and organised crime, where he has led complex investigations into high-profile cases. Prior to his role he has also worked as a Director of Intelligence for Wiltshire Police, overseeing intelligence operations to dismantle organised crime groups. He became Head of Opal in October 2024, bringing his vast expertise in intelligence-led policing, covert operations, and strategic crime prevention.

Kate is a dedicated and experienced police officer, seconded to Opal from Thames Valley Police, bringing over two decades of policing expertise and a deep-rooted passion for tackling acquisitive crime, Kate has spent a significant portion of her career focusing on organised crime groups involved in burglaries, vehicle crime, and robbery — crimes she believes have the greatest impact on communities. As the head of Operations at Opal, Kate plays a pivotal role in driving collaborative efforts to combat serious and organised acquisitive crime (SOAC) and related threats, leading on organised vehicle crime, supply chain theft, metal and infrastructure crime, and organised robbery and burglary.

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 17:00

Bridging the Gap Between Emerging Talent and Security Leadership

Lana Djurkin-König,Founder of The Young Security Professionals Academy (YSPA), & Julia Vincke, Criminologist & Senior Corporate Security Executive

Followed by the presentation of the ‘Young Supply Chain Resilience Professional of the Year Award 2026’, sponsored by TAPA EMEA and TT Club.

Summary:

This session introduces the Young Security Professionals Academy (YSPA),

an initiative dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders in corporate security.

It will share the journey behind the academy, its mission to bridge the gap between emerging talent and experienced practitioners, and how YSPA creates opportunities for mentorship, learning, and professional growth. It will highlight past achievements, current initiatives, and future ambitions aimed at strengthening the global security profession.

Speaker profiles:

Lana is an international corporate security executive with over two decades of experience in security leadership, intelligence, and organisational resilience. She currently serves as Director Enterprise Trust and Security Advocacy EMEA at Lenovo. Previously, she held senior security leadership roles at Swiss Re, EY, and Deutsche Post DHL Group, leading global security programmes and helping establish Global Security Situation Centers.

Julia Vincke is a criminologist and senior corporate security executive with extensive international experience in security leadership. She served as Vice President Security at BASF and previously held senior security leadership roles at Volkswagen, MediaMarktSaturn, and Metro AG. In these positions, she was responsible for protecting global operations, and overseeing areas such as site security, investigations, travel security, executive protection, and crisis management.

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 17:25

What’s on our Agenda on Day 2?

Sam Pauly, Moderator

WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2026 -17.30

Day 1 of Conference Ends – Welcome Networking Reception Commences

Exhibition Area, Metronom Theater Oberhausen. All delegates are invited to join our Welcome Networking Reception, supported by TAPA EMEA’s 2026 Premier Partners.

Day 2

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 08:00

Exhibition opens & networking

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 09:00

Day 2 Conference Welcome

Marcel Saarloos, Chair, TAPA EMEA & Sam Pauly, Conference Moderator

Summary:

Speaker profiles:

Marcel isRegional Security Manager, HP Inc., and Chair of TAPA EMEA, leading the Association’s Board of Directors in support of the President & CEO of TAPA EMEA and the region’s full-time team. On the TAPA EMEA Board, he has held responsibility for several key functions, including as Lead of the Standards Team and the Incident Intelligence Service (IIS) Team, and is a TAPA Standards’ trainer. He has supported the growth of TAPA and the Association’s supply chain security Standards across Europe, the Middle East & Africa, helping to expand the sourcing and collation of cargo crime incident data to support members’ loss prevention programmes.

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 09:05

TAPA EMEA Regional Leads Q&A Panel

Panel:

Agnieszka Wojnowska – Poland

Dario Novella – Italy

Filipe de Almeida – Portugal, Spain & Africa

Harry Hughes, United Kingdom

Ionel Popa, Eastern Europe

Pieter Smits, South Africa

Summary:

A Q&A with TAPA EMEA’s Regional Leads about cargo security risks in their regions and their work to support local members, and to drive the Association’s membership, development and growth in their respective markets.

Panel profiles:

Agnieszka is a marketing and communications leader specialising in transport security and telematics. She is currently Marketing Manager at TRONIK, where she develops go-to-market strategies and thought leadership focused on cargo protection, fleet visibility, and risk mitigation across European logistics networks. She has built her career at the intersection of technology and transport operations, working closely with fleet owners, security managers, and logistics operators to translate complex security challenges into practical, scalable solutions. In April 2026, she was appointed as TAPA EMEA’s Regional Lead – Poland to support the development of the security community and promote best practices and certification standards across the region.

Dario is a former Officer in the Italian Army, managing security matters with significant experience in NATO-involved missions and coordination. Transitioning into Logistics Security Leadership, since 2010, he has served as Country Head of Security & Operational Resilience at DHL Global Forwarding, managing global strategies, day-to-day security routines, and strengthening supply chain resilience against criminal activities. Dario has been actively involved with TAPA for many years, serving as a Standards Trainer and a member of the EMEA Standards Team, as has been TAPA EMEA’s Regional Lead – Italy since 2022.

Filipe is a Security, Resilience, and IT leader with a career focused on strengthening operational control, reducing risk, and enabling better decisions through technology. As Corporate Security & Business Resilience Manager at Rangel Logistics Solutions, he leads corporate security and resilience across multiple geographies, delivering tailored solutions for sensitive operations (e.g., Pharma, medicinal cannabis, tobacco, electronics) and driving alignment with ISO 22301, ISO 27001, TAPA, ASIS, and NIST; in parallel, he is a Senior Consultant and Trainer at PhoenixData.eu, advising organizations on physical/electronic security, business continuity, cybersecurity, and data protection (GDPR/ISO 27701). He also serves as TAPA EMEA’s Regional Lead for Portugal, Spain, and Africa.

Harry is Managing Director of FET Logistics Ltd, a UK-based specialist in dedicated pharmaceutical transport, operating across the UK and Europe with a strong focus on GDP-compliant, high-value, and temperature-controlled movements. With 30 years’ experience in logistics, Harry originally joined FET Logistics on a temporary basis, working alongside his father-in-law, Frederick Woolley, but remained with the business, becoming a partner and leading the company as Managing Director since 2006. Today, FET Logistics is a family-run operation with three generations involved. Under his leadership, FET Logistics has developed its own integrated Quality Management System aligned to GDP standards, setting a benchmark for pharmaceutical transport operations. Harry was appointed UK Regional Lead for TAPA EMEA in July 2025.

Ionel is the Managing Partner of Senior Security Consulting and TAPA EMEA Regional Lead for Eastern Europe. With over 20 years of experience in supply chain security across companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Philip Morris and Nokia, he focuses on helping organisations strengthen resilience against evolving cargo crime threats.

Pieter is Group CEO of Sky-way and CEO of Globaltrack, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. As an entrepreneur and technology strategist, he has spent over two decades building and scaling logistics, telematics, and IoT-driven businesses across Africa, Europe, and Asia. He is the founder of Globaltrack, an award-winning fleet and supply chain technology company, and Vynd, a next-generation smart seal and container visibility platform focused on high-security logistics and end-to-end shipment visibility. He became TAPA EMEA’s Regional Lead – South Africa in September 2025.

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 09:45

TAPA Standards & Trainings Update

Markus Prinz, Director Standards & Training, TAPA EMEA

Summary:

Every TAPA EMEA Annual Conference agenda includes the latest update on the Association’s supply chain security Standards.

TAPA’s Facility Security Requirements (FSR) and Trucking Security Requirements (TSR) are revised every 3 years in consultation with global members. This review cycle enables the Association to consider improvements to the Standards and ensures they are fit-for-purpose to address new and emerging supply chain security risks. In Oberhausen, delegates will learn more about the updates to FSR2026 and TSR2026 ahead of their launch later in the year, and hear about revisions to the Standards’ training programmes, including new video and animation content.

Updates will also be provided on TAPA EMEA’s Parking Security Requirements (PSR), including information on new partner locations and connected Booking Platform Operator supporters. Markus Prinz, Director Standards & Trainings, will also discuss the recent engagement with the European Commission in relation to safe and secure parking. He will provide a progress report on the TAPA Cyber Security Standard (CSS) in the Europe, Middle East & Africa region, and announce the outcome of the recent member survey on the potential launch of TAPA’s Guarding Security Requirements (GSR) in EMEA.

Markus will also discuss TAPA EMEA’s Driver Training programme and the region’s latest member benefit to support driver safety and security and assist supply chain loss prevention.

Speaker profile:

Markus joined TAPA EMEA’s full-time team in February 2021 as Senior Manager, Standards, Training & Certification to contribute his expertise in logistics and experience of the Association’s FSR, TSR, PSR & CSS supply chain Security Standards for facilities, trucking, secure parking, and cyber security, respectively. He previously served as a Board Member and as Training Lead, with responsibility for the EMEA training programme, including the creation of online courses and local language versions of the TAPA Standards and aligned training materials to assist companies working towards TAPA certification. Markus formerly worked as a quality and security manager at a logistics service provider in Germany. He was promoted to his current role in January 2026.

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 10:15

Cargo Under Threat: How Frankfurt Airport Responded to Organised Insider Theft

Stephan Gonter, VP Operations Corporate Security & Thorge Rink, Senior Expert Operations Corporate Security, Fraport

Summary:

Frankfurt Airport is Europe’s leading and highest-revenue air cargo hub, hosting around 250 freight forwarders and logistics companies and handling enormous cargo volumes every day. This highly interconnected ecosystem creates efficiency and speed, but also significant security challenges due to the complex interaction of many stakeholders, processes, and operational interfaces.

Since November 2024, a series of major cargo theft incidents at Frankfurt Airport had caused financial losses exceeding €2 million. Beyond the direct financial losses, the incidents highlighted the risk of reputational damage and loss of customer trust. The situation required immediate and coordinated action involving the airport authority, law enforcement agencies, airlines, ground handling agents, and logistics companies.

Investigations revealed that the perpetrators were airport employees who even cooperated across companies, highlighting the critical risk posed by insider threats. Several structural vulnerabilities were identified, including gaps in supervision and surveillance, limited video coverage, and insufficient documentation at operational interfaces.

This presentation outlines how Fraport, together with TAPA representatives, authorities, airlines, ground handling agents, and logistics partners, responded through coordinated investigations, joint workshops, and external consulting support. It will present the countermeasures implemented across the entire cargo community.

Speaker profiles:

With more than 17 years of experience in airport operations and corporate security, Stephan plays a key role in protecting critical aviation infrastructure at one of Europe’s leading air cargo hubs. He is responsible for the Security Control Center, Emergency & Crisis Management, and the company’s Investigation Service. His team works closely with law enforcement agencies and industry partners, supporting complex investigations through in-depth operational expertise and a strong focus on prevention. He is particularly committed to strengthening partnerships beyond company boundaries to effectively combat organised cargo theft and security risks.

Thorge is responsible for critical security functions at Frankfurt Airport, with a particular focus on combating cargo theft and strengthening preventive structures. With more than 12 years of experience in law enforcement, and additional years in corporate security within a major German software company, he brings a broad and practical perspective on risk, crime prevention, and organisational resilience. Since joining Fraport in February, his focus has been clear: strengthening airport security through partnership, transparency, and decisive action. His core belief: Success in combating cargo crime does not depend on a single stakeholder; it is a shared responsibility that requires strong cooperation across the entire logistics community.

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 10:45

Networking Break & Visit to Exhibition

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 11:15

Europol & LEA Update & Q&A Panel

Jens Liedhegener, Head of Team, Europol – European Serious & Organised Crime Centre, Thorsten Neumann. TAPA EMEA, plus EU LEA representatives

Summary:

TAPA EMEA has a strong commitment to supporting Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, and the freight crime prevention and investigations work of police forces across EU Member States and beyond. The Association is working to bring law enforcement and industry closer together for greater collaboration to help reduce the accelerating levels of cargo thefts across the EMEA region, and especially Europe.

At TAPA EMEA’s Annual Conference in Oberhausen, Europol is hosting a dedicated workshop for law enforcement authorities and industry partners on the threat of fake carrier fraud and expects up to 50 LEA professionals to participate in this event, led by Jens Liedhegener, Senior Specialist – Head of Team, European Serious & Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC), Property Crime at Europol.

The workshop will build on the outcomes of the Europol Conference on CARGO CRIME held in Barcelona last October, where TAPA EMEA and many of the Association’s members actively participated. It will provide a platform for police representatives from across Europe to exchange information, strengthen cooperation, and engage directly with industry stakeholders. Jens and EU law enforcement specialists will also be joining the main TAPA EMEA conference for a special Q&A looking at how police forces are responding to the growing threat of organised crime groups targeting supply chains, and how industry can support this initiative.

Speaker profiles:

Jens is Senior Specialist – Head of Team, European Serious & Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC), Property Crime at Europol has been a police officer since 1991, mainly in criminal investigations linked to homicide and organised crime in the Munich Police Headquarters. He has been working for Europol since 2020

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 12:00

Online Freight Exchanges – Friend or Foe?

Matt Arendas, Vice President, Partnerships, Trans EU & Thorsten Neumann, TAPA EMEA

Summary:

Online freight exchanges play a crucial role in connecting shippers, forwarders and carriers, but they also face increasing security threats from fake or fraudulent carriers. Criminals often impersonate legitimate transport companies by cloning websites, falsifying documents or hijacking company identities. This has become a growing risk across Europe, particularly for high-value shipments.

To mitigate these risks, digital freight platforms implement multiple security layers. These include company verification, monitoring of user activity, secure communication channels, document checks, and reputation systems that help partners assess reliability. However, due to the rapid evolution of AI, the sophistication of fraud will exponentially increase by enabling highly convincing fake documents, websites, and communications. As a result, freight exchanges are continuously strengthening their compliance protocols, verification processes, improving monitoring tools, and cooperating more closely with leading industry security organisations to stay ahead of emerging threats.

This session will discuss the collaboration between TAPA EMEA and Trans.eu Group S.A, operators of one of the most secure digital freight exchanges with extensive verification and monitoring mechanisms and the development of an additional “double-locked” environment dedicated to TAPA-certified companies. Within this enhanced layer, verified carriers and freight forwarders can collaborate after registering their interest, while shippers requiring higher transport security can join this trusted pool of certified partners.

Speaker profiles:

Matt is Vice President of Partnerships at Trans.EU, a leading European freight exchange, where he is responsible for leveraging data and partnerships to create a more transparent, resilient, and secure supply chain. He previously led global data acquisition for project44, European expansion for UPS, and 4PL operations for Coyote Logistics.

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 12:30

Networking Lunch & Visit to the Exhibition

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 13:45

Using TIS intelligence to Fight Freight Theft

Thorsten Neumann, President & CEO, Satya Roy, TIS & Training Tool Manager, and Nitu Dash, Standards Analyst, TAPA EMEA

Summary:

The TAPA EMEA Intelligence System (TIS) is one of the Association’s most valuable membership benefits – a unique, searchable database of freight crime intelligence containing information on over 275,000 incidents in 100+ countries. But are you using the system to your best advantage?

Over the past 18 months, the Association’s ‘TIS Talks’ webinar series has been helping members to drill down into the data and the system’s core capabilities. The goal? To create a mindset within the membership community that TIS intelligence = tangible supply chain protection. This conference presentation will build on the latest webinar which looked at how intelligence drives cargo security through understanding high-risk locations, analysing cargo crime modus operandi trends, corridor risk mapping, live location analysis, and turning data into operational intelligence.

At TAPA EMEA’s 2026 Annual Conference in Oberhausen, President and CEO, Thorsten Neumann, will be joined on stage by two of the Association’s leading TIS experts, Satya Roy and Nitu Dash, for another deep dive into useful tips to find and extract the intelligence companies need to safeguard their operations and delivery systems. With the next round of TIS upgrades in progress, the tool will become an even greater asset for supply chain security. This is your chance to become better acquainted.

Speaker profiles:

Satya is a seasoned supply chain professional with 22 years of experience, He has worked within a Police Cybercrime team as well as for Nokia and Microsoft. His journey with TAPA began 15 years ago while obtaining a TAPA FSR A certification. Six years ago, he transitioned to the Association’s full-time team in EMEA, where he oversees the TIS cargo crime intelligence system and TAPA EMEA’s Training Tool, along with Certifications, Standards, and other key initiatives. Satya is based in India.

Nitu is an experienced IT professional and researcher with over 14 years of academic experience and 6 years of industry experience. She has served as Professor, Head of Computer Science, and worked with universities and organisations. She holds a PhD in Computer Science, with research focused on cybersecurity, data analysis, machine learning, and IoT security, and has been published in several national and international journals. Nitu serves as a Standards Analyst at TAPA EMEA, contributing to training, certification processes, digital tools, and data-driven initiatives to support the Association’s membership community.

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 14: 15

Innovations in Supply Chain Security – A View from the Frontline

Panel of Security Service Provider leaders from TAPA EMEA’s 2026 Premier Partners

Summary:

In today’s world of unprecedented supply chain risks, what types of solutions are Manufacturers and Logistics Service Providers seeking to increase their operational resilience? Advancements in technology constantly open opportunities for new security solutions, but as organised crimes groups also become increasingly sophisticated in their own operations, new tech is also aiding and abetting freight thefts.

So, how do you ensure your resilience solutions stay ahead of the layers of risk? AI will be a particular theme of this Security Service Providers Q&A panel as we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly ramifications of its impact on supply chain security. We’ll be looking at the future of conventional security solutions and asking our panel to share some of the types of M.O. and attack methods they are being asked to help prevent.

Who better to ask than senior executives from some of TAPA EMEA’s 2026 Premier Partners, all leading suppliers of supply chain security products and services – and all on the frontline when it comes to understanding what customers need, what is available today, and what is coming next, and in the future, to make supply chains even more secure than they are today.

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 15:05

From the War Zone to the Digital Front: AI, Drones, and the Psychology of Modern Sabotage

Immanuel Bär, Co-Founder, ProSec GmbH

Summary:

In an era where cybercrime has become the world’s most successful business model, the boundaries between digital manipulation and physical standstill are blurring. Immanuel’s perspective on security was forged long before his first keyboard: born in Nigeria and having fled war-like conditions to Germany, he learned early on that security is not a luxury – it is survival. This journey gave him a clear moral compass and the firm conviction that ethical hacking can save lives. After executing his first data exfiltration at the age of 15, it became clear to Immanuel that the most vulnerable point of any system is not the code, but the human being. Consequently, his focus is not on software vulnerabilities, but on the art of psychological attack patterns and specific social engineering.

In this keynote, he will bring “realtalk” to the stage, backing up theory with hard facts. He will analyse how AI-driven attacks, in combination with “Low-Level Agents,” specifically infiltrate critical infrastructure – both internationally and here in Germany. As a special highlight, he will share excerpts from a co-production with ZDF and 3SAT. This content went viral on YouTube, reaching a quarter of a million people within the first 72 hours – proving the immense social relevance and the real danger of these scenarios. Furthermore, he will demonstrate how drones elevate the classic fields of espionage, infiltration, and sabotage to a new level, radically simplifying previous attack patterns on the global supply chain. The goal? True digital resilience through the “Human Firewall.” Learn how to arm yourselves against the cyberwar scenarios of 2026 and transform from a passive target into a resilient actor.

Speaker profile:

Immanuel is Co-Founder of ProSec GmbH, and a white hat hacker, born in Lagos, Nigeria, with international project experience in IT security and cyber defense, with government and military ties. With over 25 years of IT experience, he specialises in social engineering (human factor) with a background in classical humanities and languages. Among his many achievements, he was involved in one of the largest takedowns of the black hat hacking community in 2022 (nearly 70,000 members), and participated in the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) podcast ‘Hacking against Cyberattacks?’

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 15:35

Networking Break & Visit to Exhibition

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 16:05

Securing Global Supply Chains in a World of Risk

LSP panel:

Adrian Whelan, SVP, Head of Global Security, DHL Express

Andreas Wilhelm, Global Head of Security & Governmental Affairs, Kuehne + Nagel

James Connell, Head of Supply Chain Loss Prevention, Global Safety & Resilience, Maersk

Patrick Douglas, VP, Security, Health & Safety, Expeditors

Summary:

How do some of the world’s biggest and leading Logistics Service Providers protect the security of their global supply chain operations spanning transportation assets, facilities, and people across every corner of the planet? It’s a huge task, but in today’s uncertain world it brings more challenges and risks than possibly ever before.

In this special LSP Q&A Panel, TAPA EMEA will be joined on stage at the Metronom Theater Oberhausen by security leaders from DHL Express, Expeditors, Kuehne+Nagel, and Maersk, as we listen to their insights and experiences of ensuring security and supply chain resilience in a world where operating environments can now change in a heartbeat.

How do you stay ahead of the game? How do you anticipate risk? What new security challenges are being presented? What types of solutions are being deployed to counter security and operational threats? At what financial cost to the business? What lessons are being learned? How can SME service providers learn from these experiences? What lies ahead?

These questions, and others posed by our audience members, will be put to our panel of experts by conference moderator, Sam Pauly, as we discuss the world of supply chain security today and take a look into the future.

Panel profiles:

Adrian joined DHL Express 25 years ago and is currently based in Singapore. Prior to joining DHL Express, he served with the Royal Hong Kong Police, and has lived and worked in the UK, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, and Singapore. During this time, DHL Express has become the most TAPA‑certified logistics network with >500 TAPA FSR‑certified facilities globally, supported by a worldwide €250 million investment in industry‑leading security technologies and processes. DHL Express employs over 100,000 people in 220 countries and is part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group.

Based at Kuehne + Nagel’s Corporate Head Office in Schindellegi, Kanton Schwyz, Andreas’s remit encompasses development of risk mitigation & loss prevention strategies covering all business units, design and implementation of corporate security directives ensuring compliance with customer and regulatory requirements, as well as representation of KN Corporate in international policy and regulatory affairs.

Andreas is the Chairman of CLECAT’s Security Institute and member of CLAECAT’s Airfreight and Customs Affairs Institutes, FIATA’s Advisory Body Security Matters and IATA’s e-CSD Advisory Group. He started his career in the air cargo business with DHL Worldwide Express in 1997, joining Kuehne + Nagel in 2000.

James is a career Security and Loss Prevention leader with experience across brick-and-mortar retail and first- to last-mile logistics, holding field leadership and programmatic roles for some of the largest companies in the US, including Walmart and Amazon. He currently creates the strategic vision and implementation plan for cargo security and loss prevention at Maersk, based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

As Vice President of Security, Health and Safety, Patrick provides executive leadership for global security strategy, health and safety governance, crisis management, and business continuity. He brings to this role extensive experience across corporate security, supply chain risk management, and regulatory compliance, with a focus on building resilient, people‑centered operations. Patrick is a licensed Customs Broker and holds certifications in supply chain security and environmental, health, and safety management. He is based at the company’s global headquarters in Bellevue, Washington.

THURSDAY 11 JUNE 2026 16:50

More will come…

Thorsten Neumann, TAPA EMEA’s President & CEO, wraps up the Association’s 2026 Annual Conference.