Thomas Reuter

WACO Board Member since 1992. Managing Director of Dachser SE. Thomas Reuter was born in 1957 in Schwetzingen near Mannheim. After completing an apprenticeship in freight forwarding with a regional provider, he completed a number of management training courses. These included an advanced training programme at the German Academy of Foreign Trade and Transport (DAV) in Bremen, sponsored by Dachser, in which he qualified as a graduate in transport management and operations. Mr Reuter joined Dachser in 1978, initially working in the local transport department at the Mannheim branch. That same year he also took up a position as a customer consultant in the sales department, learning the business as he worked his way up. He began his career in Dachser’s foreign operations in 1982, first as deputy manager of the export/import department for western Europe, and from 1984 as manager of the export department. While holding this position, he was empowered to act as an authorized signatory for Dachser at the age of 28, in 1985. From 1986 to 1990 he was responsible for all of the branch’s western European overland freight services. Mr Reuter moved in 1990 to the air freight division at Frankfurt Airport. Four years later, he took over the reins as manager of Dachser’s German air freight operations, which at the time employed 170 people in 18 locations in this sector. In 1996 the company merged its air and sea freight activities, which had until then been separate, into a single organisational unit, and Mr Reuter was promoted to become director of all European branches. Since 2002 he has also been managing director of Jet-Speed GmbH, a joint venture with a leading air and sea freight provider that serves routes to and from Greater China. Mr Reuter was appointed to the Dachser management board on 1 January 2006.