Darren Thomas, co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Double Helix Tracking Technologies (DoubleHelix), the Singapore company which pioneered the use of DNA analysis to verify timber species and origin, relocates back to the United Kingdom (UK) from where he will continue to manage the global business.
He and fellow Englishman Kevin Hill established DoubleHelix in Singapore in June 2008, building on the CertiSource timber legality service launched a year earlier to verify and secure tropical timber supply chains in developing countries.
Thomas arrived in Singapore in 2003 to take up the position of Regional Marketing Manager Asia Pacific for Genesys Conferencing, a company he worked for in the UK since 1998.
An expert in timber legality and traceability, Thomas has personally managed projects and clients across Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and the United States, overcoming challenges facing local producers and multinational brands in managing their timber supply chains and marketing their products.
He will continue to do that as CEO of DoubleHelix when based in the UK, where he will also be intent on expanding business partnerships and projects, particularly in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa).
DoubleHelix’s headquarters in Singapore will be overseen by Jomaine Tang, who has been promoted to Regional Manager Asia Pacific, after serving the company for four years, most recently as Quality Assurance Manager. A graduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS) focusing on South East Asian studies, Tang worked with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2017.
Three other DoubleHelix personnel based in Singapore are: Alex Sim (PEFC Chain of Custody Auditor), Patricia Long (Finance and Data Specialist) and Pamela Wong (Data and Verification Specialist).
The Chief Scientific Advisor to DoubleHelix, Professor Andrew Lowe – who pioneered DNA timber testing – continues to oversee projects from his laboratory at the University of Adelaide (Australia), where DoubleHelix retains another contractor to carry out assignments.
As of July 2021, DoubleHelix will have a total of 23 staff and contractors based in 13 locations, including Singapore, the UK, Australia, North America, Central Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, Russia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.
