Thomas Kukanza joined Baker McKenzie as a Senior Trade Advisor in the Tax Practice Group in April 2022. With over 10 years of experience in customs and international trade, Thomas has a proven track record in implementing duty optimization programs both in the US (based in New York from 2012 to 2019) and the EU. Thomas advises clients on a wide range of trade-related topics, including duty optimization programs, customs transformation initiatives, customs pillars, customs process optimization, and customs compliance. Throughout his career, he has supported the luxury and apparel industry in setting up duty mitigation programs (e.g. bonded warehouses, first sale for export). In addition to his professional work, Thomas is a guest lecturer at the University of Antwerp and HEC Liège. He also holds a US customs broker license.