Virtually all manufacturers will experience a product recall. Whether a food manufacturer, a pharmaceutical company, or an automobile manufacturer, having a standard methodology for dealing with product recalls efficiently and effectively is imperative. Without a formal process, a product recall can quickly turn into a crisis, resulting in an enormous financial impact to the organization

Alan Schoem works with companies on regulatory compliance, establishing procedures for conducting recalls as well as minimizing risks and liabilities associated with them. Mr. Schoem is primarily responsible for assisting clients that have Consumer Product Safety Commission-related issues.

Mr. Schoem served as Director of the Office of Compliance at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from October 1997 until he joined Marsh in September 2004. Previously, he served at the CPSC in various capacities, including Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement as well as Director of the Division of Administrative Litigation. While Compliance Director at CPSC, Mr. Schoem was involved in more than 4,000 recalls comprising more than 700 million products. He also oversaw pursuing and obtaining more than $20 million in civil penalties from numerous firms that violated the CPSC’s reporting requirements or mandatory safety standards.

Mr. Schoem has been a frequent participant in product safety conferences in the United States and China, lecturing on various aspects of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and steps firms can take to ensure the safety of their products and avoid problems with CPSC. He has published several articles, including a discussion in the Harvard Business Review of how firms should react to a product safety crisis and several articles on recalls in the U.S. and Europe in BNA’s Product Safety & Liability Reporter.