Wolfgang Lehmacher

Wolfgang Lehmacher (born 1960 in Bonn, West Germany) is an international expert, thought leader, technology evangelist, and practitioner in the field of supply chain, transport, and logistics. He has been involved in various transformational initiatives in the industry. The seasoned executive with vast global industry experience anchored in dozens of positions in management and on boards of directors is also a prolific writer and regular speaker at events all across the globe. Important roles include president and CEO of GeoPost Intercontinental, the global investment and expansion vehicle of French La Poste, and director, head of Supply Chain and Transport Industries at the World Economic Forum. The business mentor is advisor to RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) and Global:SF, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to paving the way for international companies to locate, invest, and grow in the San Francisco Bay Area while helping local companies expand into global markets. As an advocate of the circular economy, he is involved in CIRPASS, an EU-funded digital product passport initiative. He also is a member of the Ethical Committee that informs Dynex Moonshots, the investment, strategic, and ethical steward of the Dynex Ecosystem. Dynex is the world's only accessible neuromorphic quantum computing cloud. Jointly with other experts and academics he also conducts surveys like a Claros study, a new method that starts with a ChatGPT-generated list of issues validated by a pool of experts, yielding actual schools of thought in the maritime industry. With his engagement in numerous publications, including the books Wie Logistik unser Leben prägt (How Logistics Shapes Our Lives), Logistik im Zeichen der Urbanisierung (Logistics in Light of Urbanization), Disrupting Logistics - Startups, Technologies, and Investors Building Future Supply Chains, Circular Economy, and Maritime Decarbonization he contributes to the public discourse. Many of his books have been published at Springer Gabler. He is a Financial Times, Nikkei Asian Review, Business Insider, World Economic Forum Agenda and BVL-Blog contributor. Lehmacher contributes to a broad range of papers, such as "How Technology Can Unlock the Growth Potential along the New Silk Road", "Blockchain Technology for Ports", "Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on Supply Chains", "Trade Tech – A New Age for Trade and Supply Chain Finance", and “Reducing port city congestion through data analysis, simulation, and artificial intelligence to improve the well-being of citizens”. Lehmacher is the lead author of the “Practical Playbook for Maritime Decarbonisation”.

Career
In 1980 Lehmacher joined German Red Cross organizing global emergency transports. Later, he was involved in setting up GD Express Worldwide, the consortium of five major post offices, German, French, Dutch, Swedish and Canadian, in Germany (1991–1992), managed the joint venture between Deutsche Post and TNT Express Worldwide (1994–1996), launched the expansion of TNT Express Worldwide operation in the Eastern European and Eastern Mediterranean regions (1997–1999), and played a major role in the European expansion of French La Poste (1999–2001), including the integration and consolidation of the pan-European parcel network DPD (2001–2005). In his capacity as president and CEO of GeoPost Intercontinental, Lehmacher led the global expansion of La Poste’s parcel business through a collaborative partnership model, a mix of investments, joint ventures, and alliances, resulting in a full coverage global network (2005-2010). As partner and managing director at global strategy boutique CVA, he oversaw the China and India businesses and led the firm's transportation and logistics practice (2010-2014). At the World Economic Forum, he has been driving intelligence building and stakeholder alignment initiatives in the fields of advanced technology and sustainability (2014-2018). The senior consultant is advisor to large corporates, investors, private equity funds, start-ups, and research institutes. Amongst other places, he has lived and worked in Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong. Geneva, and New York.

Publications
In addition, Lehmacher is author of numerous articles and whitepapers, mainly covering innovative transportation and logistics topics.
 * Co-editor of the book (in English): Maritime Decarbonization – Practical Tools, Case Studies and Decarbonization Enablers – 2023 (Springer Gabler, Deutschland)
 * Co-author of the book (in German): Circular Economy - 7. Industrielle Revolution: Der Weg zu mehr Nachhaltigkeit durch Kreislaufwirtschaft (mit Johann Bödecker) - 2023 (Springer Gabler, Deutschland)
 * Co-author of the book Intersection: Reimagining the future of mobility across traditional boundaries, SEA 2021
 * Co-author of the book (English): Digitizing and Automating Processes in Logistics, in: Disrupting Logistics: Startups, Technologies, and Investors Building Future Supply Chains  - 2021 (Springer Gabler, Deutschland)
 * Author of the book : Digital einkaufen: Warum wir unsere Wohnzimmer in Marktplätze verwandelt haben (Digital shopping: Why we have turned our living rooms into marketplaces) – 2017 Springer, Germany
 * Author of the book (English): The Global Supply Chain. How Technology and Circular Thinking Transform Our Future – 2017 Springer, Germany
 * Author of the book : Steht unsere Versorgung auf dem Spiel? Über terroristische Bedrohungen entlang der Supply Chain ( (Is our supply at stake? Terrorist threats along the supply chain) – 2016 Springer Gabler, Germany
 * Author of the book : Globale Supply Chain. Technischer Fortschritt, Transformation und Circular Economy (Global Supply Chain. Technological Progress, Transformation and Circular Economy) – 2016 Springer Gabler, Germany
 * Author of the book : Logistik im Zeichen der Urbanisierung. Versorgung von Stadt und Land im digitalen und mobilen Zeitalter" (Logistics in Light of Urbanisation. Supply of Urban and Rural Areas in the Digital Age) – 2015; Springer Gabler, Germany
 * Co-author of the book (Mandarin): China Supply Chain Management Blue Book – 2015; China Fortune Press, People's Republic of China
 * Co-author FAZ-Jahrbuch Consulting : Digitale Revolution in der Supply Chain (Digital Revolution in the Supply Chain ) - 2014, FAZ-Jahrbuch Consulting (FAZ-Yearbook Consulting), Germany.
 * Co-author of the Praxishandbuch Logistik : Investitionen in Logistik und Infrastruktur in Deutschland und den BRICS (Investments in logistics and infrastructure in Germany and the BRICS) - 2013, WoltersKluwer
 * Author of the book : Wie Logistik unser Leben prägt. Der Wertbeitrag logistischer Lösungen für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft (How Logistics Shapes Our Lives),  – 2013 (Springer Gabler, Germany).
 * Co-author of the book (English): The Secret Life of Decisions, How Unconscious Bias Subverts Your Judgement - 2013 (Gower Publishing, UK).
 * Co-author of the reference book : Fraud Management - Der Mensch als Schlüsselfaktor gegen Wirtschaftskriminalität - 2012 (Frankfurt School Verlag, Germany).

Speaking events
Lehmacher is a regular speaker. The hundreds of appearances at events globally, a number of which have been held by the World Economic Forum, cover a broad range of themes, such as The Fallout: A New Global Corporate Landscape, The Asian Consumer: A Sustainability Champion in the Making? and Urbanization: The Unstoppable Global Trend. [3]

Notable speaking engagements include the Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh, the Boao Forum in China, The Economist World in Dubai, World Bank, INK in association with TED, TPM Conferences in the United States and China, International Supply Chain Conference, Berlin, Ti Transportation Intelligence conferences, LogiSYM, IATA Symposia, Global Liner Shipping Conferences, The European Freight and Logistics Leaders’ Forum (F&L), Automotive Logistics, CogX, and the Horasis Global Business Meetings. He also shared his knowledge and experience at the MIT Centre of Transportation and Logistics, the Frankfurt School and the Cologne Business School.

Memberships and affiliations
Lehmacher is engaged in a number of organizations and committees to foster digitalization, innovation, and sustainability in supply chain, logistics, and transport. He is member of the advisory board of The Logistics and Supply Chain Management Society, Singapore, ambassador of the European Freight and Logistics Leaders Forum (F&L), Brussels, and founding member of the Logistikweisen, a logistics expert committee under the auspices of the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr), and the think tank NEXST, initiated by Reefknot Investments, Kuehne & Nagel and SGInnovate, Singapore. He is member of BVL International and was member of the German Club of Logistics [1], He is member of the Board of Governors of the Universal Business School in Karjat, Western India, the first green Indian business school, and was member of the advisory board of Aidha] in Singapore, the world's first micro-business school. He advocates the principles underpinning the [[United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the 'Partnering Against Corruption Initiative' (PACI). Lehmacher regularly joins juries and committees like the ,[5] the Automotive Logistics Awards Europe, the LogiSYM Awards, and the IDC Supply Chain Technology Leaders Recognition Program. He is mentor at Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale.