Board of Advisors

Aldo Spaanjaars, Vice President of Operations, adidas Group
As the Vice President of Operations for adidas Group Greater China based in Shanghai, Aldo is responsible for sourcing, supply chain management, logistics, and customer service. Additionally, he oversees IT and the adidas Project Office, an in-house consultancy that facilitates high growth by managing key cross-departmental initiatives. While ensuring adidas's seamless daily operations, he strives for continuous improvements and ways to enhance efficiency. Aldo has been with adidas Group Greater China since 2004, when he joined the company as Director of Marketing Communications. In less than two years, he helped to cement adidas market-leading brand position, created an award-winning campaign to support adidas 2008 Olympic partnership, and supervised a highly successful China tour by NBA star Tracy McGrady.

Jean-Luc Laboucheix, Director Supply Chain, APAC, Goodyear
Jean-Luc began his career in Humanitarian Aid in Afghanistan and Pakistan where he led logistics missions for NGOs and UNICEF. After an MBA at Ecole Internalionale des Affaires in Marseille, he managed the biggest European Union food aid program in Russia in 1992. He then joined Daher to become the Managing Director, Russia and CIS, of this company specialized in third party logistics. Back to Europe in 1996 he became Managing Consultant in Logistics and Supply Chain at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and led several international Supply Chain projects for a total saving achievement of more than 100 Million Euro. After 5 years in the consulting business, he worked until July 2006 at Electrolux as Supply Chain Director in China and led the European Supply Chain for the bigest product line. He is now Director Supply Chain, Asia Pacific, at Goodyear.

Yann Teste, Global Director Purchasing & Supplier Management, VOLVO AB Group, Volvo Construction Equipment Division.

As Global Director Purchasing & Supplier Management, Commodity Powertrain, for Volvo Construction Equipment, Yann Teste and his global team (Asia, Americas and Europe) is in charge of setting the sourcing strategies for the commodity Powertrain (Engines, Axles, Transmissions, Tires, Rims, Track chains, Turbos, Filtters, Muflers,...). Yann is ultimaltely responsible for the all the Powertrain commodity Supply base performances, and havs a deep interaction with Engineering, Quality and Operationnal Purchasing. Before this role at Volvo AB, Yann was located 6 years in China as the Asia Purchasing Director for Purchasing, Supplier Quality, Indirect Material, Investments and procurement for Knorr-Bremse group, Truck Braking Systems division and was also the head of the East Asia Global Sourcing Office. He started being located in China to support the Starting-up of a manufacturing plant in Dalian together with another colleague in 2004 wich started propduction in 2005 and his now a major plant within Knorr-Bremse group. Before this Yann was leading the European Purchasing organization for Knorr-Bremse truck division for the compressor product line. He also has been working for Arvin Meritor in project management and for the Atomic and Nuclear research Industry. Yann Teste has been working in Purchasing and Supply Chains for the last 13 years, managing teams located in US, Korea, China, India, Sweeden, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, ... Yann Teste holds an Master of Science in Electro-Mechanics from EPMI engineering school in France, completed with a Master in Finance & Controlling from IAE Institute in France, during his career he also went through several High Potential and executive trainings on management, leadership and purchasing. Yann is now located in Europe in Volvo Construction Equipment Headquarters."

Chris Deans, , Senior Consultant, CPA, CPIM, CIRM
Chris is a Supply Chain executive with many years of broad and deep business experience. He has worked in the energy, forest products, warehouse/distribution, government and consulting industries. Chris has designed, built and managed high-performance work teams as well as developed Supply Chain strategy on a senior level for Fortune 100 companies and US Government agencies. He is a Certified Public Accountant and has also earned the CPIM and CIRM supply chain certifications from APICS. He is an award winning APICS certified trainer. Since coming to China, Chris has performed free-lance supply chain consulting for clients in the commercial property, retail, manufacturing and automotive sectors. He has written and presented numerous seminars on Supply Chain Management techniques and principles in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Ho Chi Minh City. He is the author of the regular “Back to Basics – Supply Chain 101” column for CHaINA Magazine. Chris is also an Adjunct Professor of Supply Chain Management for Webster University’s EMBA program and has taught Chinese students at the Shenzhen and Shanghai campuses.

Gilles Thierry, Supply Chain Director, Nivea Shanghai
As Supply Chain Director of NIVEA Shanghai Gilles THIERRY is based in Shanghai since 2007. He spent 16 years in Danone Group in different Supply Chain leading positions in Europe and joined the Beiersdorf Group since 2000 (German group with head quarters located in Hambourg).. He was Supply Chain Director for Beiersdorf in France and contributed to the project of reshaping the European Supply Chain. In Shanghai he has the responsibility of 5 departments: planning, procurement, manufacturing, customer supply and Quality. He implemented the NIVEA Shanghai Supply Chain (based on the international SCOR model) and leaded the construction of a new factory in Qingpu district dedicated in the future to the North East Asian markets.

Damon Paling, Partner, Customs & Trade, PWC
Damon has 11 years experience in Asia advising companies on customs, trade and related supply-chain and logistics matters, the last 5 years of which have been spent in Shanghai, China. Damon's China experience is spread across China and includes Processing Trade (model design, optimisation and handbook management), customs valuation, tariff classification, free trade agreements, bonded zones, used capital equipment importation, duty-free capital equipment importation, disposal, sale and transfer of bonded capital equipment, and other duty exemption and reduction policies. Prior to joining PwC, Damon was an Customs Officer with the New Zealand Customs Service, based in Auckland. He gained experience in a number of customs areas such as audit in respect of customs valuation, preferential trading arrangements under CER, duty drawback, tariff classification and tariff concessions.

Guy Tran, IT Director, Auchan China Hypermarkets
Guy joined Auchan China 6 years ago and is currently in charge of the IT strategy definition and execution within a high growth and competitive context. Previously, he was Auchan China Logistics manager. He has managed the expansion of logistic operations for Auchan through the development of centralized delivery platform for dry goods and the launch of centralized delivery platform for temperature-controlled goods, an operation that emphasizes on product quality. Graduated from a telecom university, Guy has worked in the telecom service industry in France for almost 10 years. He has previously developped and implemented national-wide telecom solution and services for major European telecom service providers as a senior Project manager.

Vincent Chang, IT & Logistics Director, Singer China
Vincent Chang has been with Singer Sewing machine co. (founded in 1851, one of world’s leading sellers/manufacturers of household sewing machines) more than 16 years and presently a Director, IT & Logistics, for Singer’s manufacturing operation in China which is based in Shanghai. He got the Master degree of Management Science from University of Massachusetts in USA and he had several years of experience worked as a consultant for a consulting firm based in Boston, USA prior to joining Singer. Vincent had successfully integrated the VMI concept into company’s supply chain strategy, with the achievement of his VMI project for Singer, he was recognized by China Supply Chain Council to receive the Award of “Executive of the year, 2005” for China supply chain & Logistics.

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