The Innovator: Thiago Roriz

August 24, 2023

Thiago Roriz, COO of TNA solutions shares with Editor Caitlin Gittins addressing sustainability, mental health and how digitalisation is transforming what they do

International Confectionery Editor Caitlin Gittins caught up with Thiago Roriz, COO of TNA solutions, who has been in the business for almost 11 years. In his role as Chief Operating Officer, he manages the overall company operations to ensure the sales, manufacturing, project management and aftermarket global teams are working seamlessly to deliver the “TNA promise” to customers, he said. Being responsible for engaging company owners, understanding where TNA is going strategically and coming up with business objectives that are later rolled out through the company, in this exclusive interview for the magazine he talks sustainability, mental health and digitalisation.

What challenges are your customers facing, and how are you looking to address them?

We see a lot of sustainability-related challenges. Keeping this trend in mind, we are ensuring that our business initiatives are aligned with the impact they have on people and the planet at large.

For our customers, this means maintaining regular contact with them to understand their direction and pain points. More specifically, these challenges relate to labour, energy usage and regulations aimed at reducing CO2 emissions.

With the technologies we create and offer, we’re using digitalisation to make the lives of operators easier. It’s always been part of our DNA to develop more efficient systems. Utilising more efficient systems equals more efficient use of utilities, energy, water and air.

How are your customers addressing sustainability?

We have large customers, such as major corporations, with very clear goals and sustainability plans in which we are involved. These companies aim to reduce their emissions and operate more sustainably. They are keen to understand our own goals regarding sustainable operations as their partners, as well as the goals of our suppliers. We are actively engaged with them and follow a clear reporting timeline.

Every year, we engage with an internal committee and report on our progress. We report on aspects such as: Have we improved in terms of sustainability? For instance, have we committed to installing solar panels in our facilities, and, if so, have we followed through? What has the impact been?

For our smaller and mid-sized customers who may not have the same internal structure and clearly defined goals, their approach is to seek our help and advice to understand regulations related to sustainability.

How would you define sustainability? What areas are you focusing on as a business?

We have three main pillars of sustainability at TNA: people, planet, prosperity. With ‘people’, we have social impact programmes that are enabled through the Nadia and Alf Taylor Foundation, which was established in 2002 to help individuals in underdeveloped communities to develop their respective skillsets and become more self-sufficient. Our programmes are aimed at educating children because we believe that education is the way out of poverty.

Under ‘prosperity’, we refer to the sustainability of our business, which involves generating sustainable growth. This includes…

Read the full feature in our magazine.