Organic Cotton Round Table | Thurs. Oct 12th

After serving as the Co-Chair of the first greenhouse gas emission inventory and reduction cost study for the State of Wisconsin, Michael Arny founded Leonardo Academy in 1997 with the mission to leverage the competitive market to advance sustainability. As President of Leonardo Academy, Michael helped create the Energy Services Coalition for which he acted as the Executive Director for 4 years. Michael was also the Chair of the LEED® for Existing Buildings committee for the US Green Building Council from 2001-2005 when the rating system was developed and first implemented. He continues to be a leader in developing ANSI sustainability standards and implementing comprehensive sustainability projects that support Leo's mission.

Senior executive with over 40 years of leadership and management experience in private and public sectors including manufacturing, agro- industry, insurance and international trade with legal background. Developed and implemented strategies and programs that improved operational outcomes and maximized the available resources. Extensive experience in organizational change, team building, organizational effectiveness and facilitative leadership. Has led the design, development and delivery of multi-dimensional cross-functional solutions to clients, bringing together Strategy, Business Process Design, Organizational Design and Change Management. During the policy development and successful conclusion of contract processes, his negotiation, dispute resolution and coaching skills become invaluable in the elimination of disagreements and establishing common grounds.
Has served as a Board Member in Employer’s Federations and Confererations in Turkey. Founding member of Aegean Industrialist and Businessmen’s Association. Served as Board Member of International Trade Association of Northern Virginia , U.S.A. Served as Executive Chairperson of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Family Association, Washington D.C./ U.S.A.
His qualifications are Law degree from Ankara University and post graduate studies on International and Comparative Law, at University of Texas at Dallas, U.S.A. Holds Certificate of Leadership Coaching from the Georgetown University, Center for Professional Development, Washington D.C. U.S.A. Also, holds a Certificate from the Dispute Resolution and Mediation Center in Washington D.C. U.S.A.

Getting the Most Out of Our Land | Tues. Oct. 10th 

After graduating in agricultural sciences at University of Hohenheim, Germany, Tobias Bandel worked as cultivation and export manager for fresh fruits and vegetables at the Sekem Group, Egypt. Apart from his trading activity, he was involved in various agribusiness projects in cooperation with the IFC/Worldbank and USAID such as traceability and communication tools to link small-scale farmers to export markets. 
In 2007 Tobias Bandel was co-founder and is since then managing partner of Soil & More International BV, a company worldwide active in the setup organic soil fertility projects, especially composting, emission reduction projects and sustainability assessment and reporting.

Prama Bhardwaj, Founder & CEO Mantis World, has lived between Kenya, Tanzania, India and the UK. She studied Development Economics for her Master’s degree, with a focus on development in Africa. Prama is a board member of the Ethical Fashion Forum and the Textile Exchange – both organisations dedicated to transforming social and environmental standards in the fashion industry. Prama has spoken on sustainable textile manufacturing at locations around the world and is also Chair of the Africa Sourcing Working Group – a multi stakeholder initiative for Textile Exchange.
In 2000, Prama founded Mantis World: an award-winning supplier of sustainably sourced “blank” clothing to the imprintables market. The company’s heritage came through working with their family-owned fully transparent and certified vertical mill in Tanzania. Over the years the company diversified supply routes to mills in Pakistan, Turkey, India, UK and Bangladesh, operating on the same criteria of sustainability and transparency. Mantis World demonstrates the success of their triple bottom line model - commercial, volume manufacturing in an ethical and sustainable manner. Recently Prama launched re:sustain a sustainably sourced retail brand for contemporary mens and womenswear.
Prama is supports several non-commercial projects including childrens homes in Africa, womens economic empowerment in Pakistan and schools in Bangladesh. She also works on education of the industry, awareness building on fast fashion and womens rights.

Simon has extensive experience of working with international sustainability organisations and Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives. His clients have included AWS, BCI, ISEAL Alliance, 4C Association, SAN, Pesticide Action Network UK, the Organic Cotton Accelerator and Cotton Made in Africa (CMIA). Having set up Textile Exchange Europe as a UK registered charity, he now serves on the Advisory Board of Textile Exchange. He also serves on the board of the Social Enterprise funding agency BBRC and was chair of Schumacher Society UK, which celebrates the work of “green” economist E.F. Schumacher. With a first degree from Cambridge University, he graduated in 2005 with an MSc from Anita Roddick’s Responsibility and Business Practice course at the University of Bath.

Lisa joined Textile Exchange in 2014.  As Materials Platform Coordinator, Lisa supports the delivery of Textile Exchange’s Materials Strategy, including the production of TE’s annual market reports and coordination of the Organic Cotton Round Table, amongst other responsibilities.  Lisa has a BSc in International Development from the University of East Anglia and joined Textile Exchange after an internship with the UK’s Soil Association researching organic cotton and food security.

OCRT Regional Meeting - Africa | Thurs Oct 12th

Subindu Garkhel has hands on commercial experience of working in the clothing industry in India, Bangladesh and the UK. With a Masters in Social development from the top International Development university, she brings in a perspective and sensibility of the challenges and realities of both worlds. She is passionate about participatory and inclusive approach to development. This is aligned with the principles of Fairtrade, where she works. She looks after cotton and textiles here. She is also an advisory council board member at Textile Exchange.

With a Bachelor degree in Engineering  with major of Textile Technology from India and MBA in Luxury Goods and Fashion Industries from Paris, France. Amish has held various positions with Voltas, Decathlon & Agorcel Industries Ltd in India and in France. He also has work experience in textiles, sustainable agriculture and retail industry. Core strengths include sustainable sourcing of textile products & supply chain, social auditing at factories & farms, traceability tools, and quality auditing. Amish also has a large working knowledge in sustainable cotton (BCI, Organic, Recycle, Natural Color Cotton, Khaadi) sector.  He has planned and managed various projects in India, France and other countries including the initiative for Natural Color Cotton, Recycle cotton and PET project, Organic (cotton & food), Fair Trade and BCI.

My ideology is to “Think Sustainable, save the world and help humanity.”

Getting the Most Out of Our Land | Tues. Oct. 10th

Agronomic engineer of the University of Brasilia; Has a master's degree in Agricultural Sciences from the same University and an MBA in public management and fiscal responsibility from the Open University of Brazil. In addition, it has several studies of specialization in Management and Cooperatives, ATER, sustainable local development, participative methodologies in the rural area and agroecology. She has worked in the Ministry of Agrarian Development (MDA) supporting the National Extension Policy (Pnater) and especially the diversification program in areas cultivated with tobacco and technically supporting the development of actions of the National Commission for Tobacco Control in Brazil. He has also worked in universities, NGOs as a specialist in rural issues, combating poverty. For five years she has been a Regional Coordinator of the Project "Strengthening the Cotton Sector through South-South Cooperation", a joint initiative implemented by the Government of Brazil, FAO and six countries members and associates of the Mercosur: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Haiti.

OCRT Regional Meeting - Latin America | Thurs Oct 12th

Alexander Grisar is the founder of the German hammock company La Siesta. 2008 he introduced the first hammock made of organic cotton to the market. It was made in Colombia with organic cotton yarn brought in from Tanzania. He could not get organic cotton in Latin America and this led him a few years later, after handing over La Siesta to his sons, to initiate SOCiLA - Support Organic Cotton in Latin America.

He has since dedicated most of his time to Colombia and done field test in four different Colombian farms. However, he is widely connected throughout Latin America and to global brands and apparel producers. 

Alexander grew up in Chile, is a graduate of chemical engineering of the Technical University of Berlin and of business leadership of the University of South Africa. Most of his life he worked for the cement industry throughout the globe, presently he dedicates nearly all his time to SOCiLA.

New Reporting Metrics: Navigating the Maze of ESG, SDG and Integrated Reporting | Weds. Oct. 11th

Angelika Guldt, 56, boasts more than 20 years of experience in communications. After concluding her studies as a translator, she worked as an editor for a local TV station. In addition, she was a free-lance journalist and was active in the field of adult education. In 2001, she was appointed to the position of Head of Corporate Communications at Lenzing AG. Her priorities included investor relations, event management, a corporate TV project, several in-house media as well as the first Sustainability Reports of the Lenzing Group. Angelika Guldt was named to the Corporate Sustainability team in the beginning of 2016 with overall responsibility for the Sustainability Report of the Lenzing Group.

Debra joined Stella McCartney in 2016 and is the Sustainability Manager. Before joining Stella McCartney, Debra was a sustainability and climate change consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers where she primarily worked with Kering on their annual Environmental Profit & Loss. The E P&L is an innovative tool that quantifies and monetises the impact a business has on the environment from the production of raw materials used to its direct operations. In her role at Stella McCartney, Debra works with suppliers and supply chain teams to implement sustainable sourcing initiatives and reduce the environmental impact of the supply chain.

She holds a Master of Science in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics & Politics, and Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Oxford.

PFM Round Tables SDG Panel | Oct. 12th

I have been working in the global sustainability and environment industry for more than 17 years. I began as an environmental and social auditor for PUMA working on environmental impact assessments/audits and social compliance audits within the global supply chain. Heading the sustainability department of PUMA while as a Global Director with a global team of 23 experts I was responsible for the implementation of social and environmental projects as will as all projects related to sustainability.
Beside many other successful I was responsible for
-Development of the world’s first Environmental Profit and Loss (E P&L) Account (2010-2014), which places a monetary value on a company's environmental impact as a result of a loss to ecosystem services.
- Responsible for the PPP project Sustainability Action and Vision for a Better Environment (SAVE), an Asia-wide capacity building project focusing on technical assistance supporting more than 40 PUMA supplier factories within Asia.
- Overseeing the auditing and implementation process according toe the ZDHC guidelines within the global supply chain.
During my time at HUGO BOSS I was responsible for the development and implementation of a sustainability strategy within the corporation and supply chain.

I am the founder of go4more.global assisting clients from multi-nationals to small and medium enterprises in shaping and enhancing accountability management of their corporation and global supply chain through needs analysis, communications, enhanced skills trainings, and improve strategic decision-making.

Areas of specialties: Responsible Supply Chain Management, Capacity building on Energy, Water, Waste & Chemical Management, Restricted Substances with in the Product and Production (RSL and M-RSL), Sustainability Reporting, Environmental Externalities, Stakeholder Dialog, Strategic Development, Sustainable Chemical Management

Towards a Biobased Economy | Weds. Oct. 11th

Kenji Higashi has a single purpose; to help build a sustainable future that is filled with love and hope for all of mankind. Before joining Spiber, Kenji started his career as a business consultant at Accenture after earning his BS and MS in bioinformatics at Keio University in Yamagata, Japan. His current work as an executive at Spiber includes direction of a wide range of the company's activities including business development, supply chain design, scientific research, financing, etc.

Preferred Fiber & Materials Round Table | Thurs. Oct. 12th 

Mr. Jasper is the President of Two-Eleven Associates, a management consulting company that focuses on improving the value and sustainability of manufacturing based businesses. He was previously the Chairman and CEO of Unifi Inc., (UFI:NYSE), a multi-national textile company and the makers of Repreve® recycled polyester yarns. Mr. Jasper led the turnaround of Unifi from years of losses to consistently growing profits, built around the development of Repreve®, a globally recognized recycled product and improved manufacturing effectiveness. Prior to his time at Unifi Inc., Mr. Jasper was the Director of Invista’s Dacron® polyester business. Prior to that he held several manufacturing and marketing management positions within a variety of businesses at DuPont. 

Mr. Jasper holds BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Rhode Island. He serves on the University of Rhode Island Engineering Advisory Board, the Academic Board of Directors of Jefferson University and the Board of Directors of the Danbury Animal Welfare Society.

MMC Roundtable | Thurs Oct. 12th

Mattias Jonsson is CEO of re:newcell which have developed a unique recycling process where cellulosic based textiles such as cotton and viscose, can be recycled and turned into new garments. Prior joining re:newcell, Mattias has held several top positions in various industries including green energy, consumer goods companies and information technology. Mattias has a MBA from Stockholm School of Economics.

rPET Round Table | Thurs Oct. 12th

Organic Cotton Round Table: Global Strategy | Thurs. Oct. 12th

Scott loves to build stuff - from compost programs to graduate school curricula to businesses, he has a passion for starting things from scratch. As the technical and creative engine behind PeerAspect, his primary responsibilities are overall strategic vision, software design and product management, as well as managing investor and customer relations. Prior to founding PeerAspect, Scott was the US Head of Advisory Services at the Carbon Trust, where he helped to lead carbon strategy and reduction work with manufacturers and retailers. Scott has a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Columbia University. His experience before that included work with the Columbia Earth Institute, RecycleBank and the New York City Department of Sanitation.

The Post Consumer Textile Collections Conundrum | Weds. Oct. 11th 

An obsession with waste reduction and improving the lives of others drives Traci every single day. After completing a bachelor’s degree in design, she dove into the apparel industry, gaining both strategic and hands-on experience in process and technology development. During her time as an Innovator with NIKE, she connected a wide range of stakeholders and created cutting-edge customization systems for global production. She launched REvolve Waste in 2013 to grow the understanding of circular textiles and increase collaboration across the industry. Traci joined Circle Economy in 2016 to drive pivotal European developments that will serve as a new circular standard for sustainable textiles.

MMC Round Table | Thurs. Oct. 12th

Sophika came to Canopy after 15+ years leading environmental and social justice campaigns focused on ocean conservation, sustainable transportation and the pursuit of legislated environmental rights. As Canopy’s Senior Corporate Campaigner, she spends her days supporting the CanopyStyle initiative's 100 global fashion brands ensuring that their forest-derived fabrics are not associated with risk. Sophika is fuelled by Canopy’s mission of keeping the last remaining tracts of ancient and endangered forests standing. Acting as a resource provide and cheerleader, Sophika supports Canopy's corporate champions as they unravel their complex fibre supply chains, and take a leading position on conservation priorities in key landscapes of hope.

Synthetics: What are the Problems? Meeting SDG #12 | Weds. Oct. 11th 

Karla Magruder has been in the textile industry for more than 25 years with global experience from fiber to finished garments. She founded Fabrikology International, a textile consulting firm, specializing in textile sourcing, education and business development in 2003. The company has worked in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors in building strategic development plans, developing and launching new products, and organizing tradeshow seminars and conferences.

Karla has led her team in supporting the development of trade between US brands and retailers and garment manufacturers from Haiti and Africa through USAID sponsored programs. She has worked as a Textile Exchange Ambassador with the mission of facilitating the acceleration of sustainable practices in the textile value chain.

Prior to founding Fabrikology International she led the apparel launch of Ingeo fibers, the 1st manmade fiber created from 100% annually renewable resources, launched several performance fabrics and technologies in the outdoor and apparel market and headed the development of an active apparel collection for a global company.

She is currently is a member of the Textile Exchange Governance Board and has been a Contributing Editor to Textile Insight and EcoTextile News.

Towards a Bio-based Economy | Oct. 11

Sophie Mather of biov8tion works to inspire and transform the textile industry to a future where processes are eradicated, and performance created without impact to people or planet. With the big picture and longer- term vision in sight, biov8tion embraces challenges as the driver for new innovation. Commercial results are born from the facilitation of multi-stakeholder relations, formed between supply chain partners (raw materials, machine builders, fabric suppliers,) brands, retailers, nonprofits, academics and cross-industry expertise.

Sophie Mather, Founder, and Material Futurist at biov8tion has over 20 years industrial experience, working on the ground in the EU, USA, and Asia for major global brands, directing innovation and materials.
www.biov8tion.com
@biov8tion

Silvio studied agronomy at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, acquiring a master's degree in soil science and microbiology.  Still in college, he met the pioneer ecologist José Lutzenberger, with whom he began his professional career and has developed numerous projects in the field of sustainability. For over 25 years he develops consulting and audit activities for organic farming projects and environmental management systems for various companies in Latin America.

Consumer Engagement Meeting | Thurs Oct 12th

- Creative entrepreneur working hands-on in fashion for over 25-years 
- 20-years if active focus promoting sustainability in the fashion industry (Dubbed, “Johnny Appleseed of Eco-Fashion” by California Apparel News in 2007)
- Expert in materials innovation, product design/ development, branding and marketing
- Extensive business development, and corporate leadership experience
- Developed the first “stylistically relevant eco-fashion brand” with the creation and launch of LiViTY Outernational into top fashion boutiques in 2002, eventually selling to mass retailers such as Urban Outfitters, Whole Foods, with international distribution in 15+ countries
- Founder and Chairman of S3 Source Los Angeles, “The world’s premiere sustainable fashion agency”, facilitating awareness and access to best-in-class sustainable production resources for the worlds biggest brands/retailers, and provides marketing and business development services to help propel innovation - Current Status- Consulting as global marketing ambassador for Hilaturas Ferre/Recover Yarns, ITC Awareness, S3, while leading business development for Agraloop/Texloop circular materials platforms with startup, Circular Systems.

Scaling the Use of Sustainable Cotton | Weds. Oct. 11th 

Alexandra works in the field of sustainable cotton production and consumption since 2001. At Cotton made in Africa, she is responsible as Senior Project Manager for the AbTF Standard family and their Assurance, as well as Networking and Outreach to the African CmiA Partners. She drives collaboration with partners on sustainability innovations adapted lo local opportunities, such as the use of plant-based bio-pesticides or the support of extra income-generating activities of women farmers groups. 

Prior to CmiA, Alexandra worked 10 years for PAN Germany as Organic Cotton Project Manager, at Greenpeace Germany as Detox My Fashion Campaigner, and as researcher at the Institute for Applied Ecology. She holds a diploma as Nutritionist.

OCRT Regional Meeting - Latin America | Thurs Oct. 12th

She holds a degree in Agronomy from the Federal University of Ceará (2008). Since April 2008 she has been a Consultant for V. FAIR TRADE. Its main activities are the Coordination of the Internal Control System for Organic Certification and Coordination of the Cotton Project. He has experience in Agronomy, with emphasis on Management and Soil Conservation, working on the main themes: Agroecology and Organic Certification.

OCRT Global Stakeholder Meeting | Thurs Oct. 12th

After having worked for numerous years in the corporate sector, Joy Saunders moved into the not-for-profit world where she was the Chief Executive Officer of Integrity Action (2011-2016), a UK based NGO that seeks to build integrity in some of the world’s most challenging settings. She has written and presented in various fora on the importance of closing the feedback loop as well as metrics and measuring impact in the anti-corruption field and sat as the civil society representative for the OECD Anti-Corruption Task Team.

OrganiMark, founded in July 2008, is a food, textiles and leather supply chain engineering and management firm linking sustainable primary producers with high value local and global markets. The Firm specializes in supply chain optimization and trade management through investing in agricultural production zones and value added processing facilities for sustainably produced products. The company’s aim is to create sustainable businesses through long term supply chain partnerships in line with its brand integrity and identity, which promotes economic, social and environmental responsibility.

Heinrich is also the Chairman of Textile Exchange Europe and recently founded the Southern African Sustainable Cotton Cluster where he serves as Executive Manager and Board Member.  Heinrich has a Business Degree from the University of Pretoria (South Africa) and completed his training in Leather Processing with LIRI at Rhodes University (South Africa), and Textile& Garment Manufacturing with CSIR TexTech at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (South Africa).

Simone studied design and textile engineering in Austria and went for a career in the global fashion and sporting goods industry, held various positions in design, product management, marketing and buying departments, also at the headquarter of adidas. In 2008 she decided to only focus on sustainability topics within the industry, first working as a consultant at the Dutch NGO Made-by, then as head of marketing and sales at Remei AG in Switzerland. She has expertise in leading CR initiatives on brand level, in supply chain transformation and integrity, product innovation and best-practise marketing and communication. Based in Freiburg, Germany, she currently works as a consultant for individual as well as multi-stakeholder projects.

Amit, CEO & Founding Director of Spectrum International has been an integral part of the textile industry for the past 18 years. Starting with his 80-year old legacy business of cotton spinning, Amit integrated the business backwards to farm and gin organic cotton in 1998. Since then Amit has always focused in trying to create a business model that has social, environmental and economic development as its core drivers. Amit's unique strength lies in bringing to commercial fruition ideas that most often stay in the realm of non-profits. Today, Spectrum works with over 30,000 farmers for growing organic and sustainable products in India in 4 different states and catering to over 10 retailer brand value-chains globally. Amit's personal goal right from the beginning was to work with marginal farmers of India for the development of society creating businesses that not only excite the bottom-line but add value to the people of this country and the world.  He strives for every day.

MMC Roundtable | Thurs Oct. 12th

Over the past 6 years, Helene has gained experience working as a researcher, communicator and consultant in Circular Economy and sustainable innovation in a variety of industries. In 2014, she set up the Circle Textiles Program at Circle Economy and from that moment on has been fully dedicated to bringing Circular Economy thinking to the fashion & textiles industry. Since early 2016, Helene continues work with her own independent consultancy, Stating the Obvious. In this capacity she works for pioneering companies in the textiles industry, including Recover and Circle Economy.

OCRT Regional Meeting - Africa | Thurs Oct. 12th
since 1990 Managing Partner of Gebr. Elmer & Zweifel GmbH & Co KG, Bempflingen, Germany
1995 first organic cotton purchase
since 1995 member of the steering committee of Südwesttextil 
(SWT = Southwest textile employer association)
since 1995 member of the steering committee of Campus Reutlingen eV
(Campus Reutlingen = booster club of Reutlingen University)
Reutlingen University is a leading University in textiles 
1999 - 2002 Member of the Board of the Bremen Cotton Exchange
since 2001 member of the technical committee “weaving” of the IVGT
(IVGT = Industrial Associaton of textile Manufacturers), thereof 5 years as chairman
2003 Launch of Cotonea brand for bedding, bath textiles, baby care textiles and clothing
2005 Start cooperation with Helvetas and Biofarmers Kyrgyz Rebublic about growing of 
Organic FT cotton. 
since 2007 member of the steering committee of the IVGT
since 2008 founding member of the foundation board of KFRU 
(KFRU = Knowledge Foundation of Reutlingen University)
since 2010 member of the panel for organic guidelines (GOTS and IVN BEST)
since 2010 member of the advisory board of the DITF, Denkendorf, a textile research institute
2010 Start of cooperation with Gulu Agricultural Development Corporation about growing of
Organic cotton.
2017 Start offering organic ELS cotton products, yarn and fabric.

Evonne spent the past 20 years improving data and reporting for companies around the world. From a manufacturing background, she moved on to consultancy with PwC and IBM, project management with Wessex Water before settling into the sustainability sector with CSR Consultancy. A graphic designer on the side, Evonne is passionate about data visualization and using data to tell a story. 

Evonne started working with Textile Exchange in 2009, leading on data collection, analytics, reporting and consumer engagement. Currently, the Director of Data Management and China Strategy, Evonne holds two different portfolios in the company: one that focuses on creating value from data for textile sustainability and another to promote sustainable fiber and materials growth in the Chinese market. 

Silvère has been the Regional Director in Africa since 2006. Before joining Textile Exchange, he completed his PhD at Giessen University in Germany where he wrote a dissertation on “Gender perspectives in the adoption of organic cotton in Benin: a farm household modeling approach.” In Benin, he has been involved in many socioeconomic research programs tackling issues related to small scale farmers’ income and well-being. He joined OBEPAB (a Beninese NGO promoting organic farming) a member organization of the worldwide Pesticide Action Network (PAN) in 1998 where, for 4 years, he coordinated an information and training program on organic farming.

Liesl Truscott is European and Materials Strategy Director with responsibility for developing and embedding Textile Exchange’s preferred materials program. Liesl has specialized in organic cotton and has a deep knowledge of the sector. With a first class degree in Environmental Management from the University of Newcastle in Australia, she has spent over twenty years in the fields of corporate social responsibility, occupational health and safety, and environmental management – working in both the private and public sector.

Scaling the Use of Sustainable Cotton | Weds. Oct. 11th 

Keith started at PAN UK as Director in May 2010. Keith has over 25 years’ environmental experience. Prior to joining PAN UK he was the Director of Programmes and Research at the Koru Foundation – a charity that supports community scale renewable energy projects in the developing world. He also spent eight years working on UK and EU environmental policy at the ENDS Report where his last role was Climate and Energy Editor. He has extensive experience of working with grassroots organisations and ran the European arm of a three-year international research and advocacy project for WWF. He holds a Doctorate in Development Studies, and MA in Environment Development and Policy from the University of Sussex – both of which involved research into pesticide use.

In the late 1980’s, after 10 years in the family business of trading and processing various agricultural products in Turkey, Aydin began contracting farmers to grow local organic dried fruits. Aydin has been one of the early producers and exporters of various organic fruits, mainly dried grapes and figs. During early 1990’s he helped found Egedeniz, a family company, which is the pioneer company in Turkey dealing in production and sales of certified organic cotton from fiber through yarns, fabrics and garments.

Scaling the Use of Sustainable Cotton | Weds. Oct. 11th

Putting Women and Children First | Weds. Oct. 11th

Alison Ward is the CEO of CottonConnect, where she leads a team of 45 employees and over 700 implementing associates in India, Pakistan, China and Peru, impacting the lives of a million farming families. Alison has over 20 years of international experience in sustainability and corporate affairs, shaping system change and translating social impact programmes into commercial value within the FMCG, food and apparel sectors.

With a mission to drive scalable change, Alison serves as an Advisory Board Member at Textile Exchange and on Forum for the Future’s Working Group, Cotton 2040. She also sat on the Sustainability Advisory Committee for the London Olympic Games and has been a Coach and Mentor to commercial teams at WWF and the Ethical Trade Initiative.

OCRT Regional Meeting - China | Thurs Oct. 12th

Veronica Yow is a Manager in the Sustainable Markets and Finance team at Rare and currently oversees the organic agriculture program in China. Bringing over nine years of sustainability and business consultancy experience in the private, academic, and non-governmental sector in North America, Africa, and Asia Pacific, Veronica has worked on the development, execution, and management of sustainability strategies and programs for various organizations. Veronica was a Chartered Accountant in Australia before joining PwC Egypt's Corporate Responsibility team executing nationwide public health programs and supporting young entrepreneurs to build sustainable green startups. Veronica also worked for a mobile technology for development startup in Uganda and holds an MS in Sustainability Management from American University in Washington D.C.

Getting the Most out of Our Land | Tues. Oct. 10th 

Dan is the Director of Investments for the Initiative for Smallholder Finance (ISF) at the Global Development Incubator, based in New York. The ISF is a multi-donor and investor platform for the development of financial services serving the smallholder farmer market. Dan supports ISF’s investment pipeline development, multi-stakeholder facilitation, and targeted market research in the smallholder finance sector. Dan joined ISF from Dalberg where he led cross-functional teams in strategy projects related to agriculture, financial services, and social impact for financial institutions, foundations, and multi-national companies. Prior to joining Dalberg, Dan was a lead associate at Booz & Company in the financial services practice where he specialized in strategy and organizational transformation for commercial banks. Dan has also worked as a planning manager for Standard Chartered Bank in the UAE and a microfinance program officer for Plan International in Vietnam. Dan holds an MBA with honors from Cornell’s Johnson Business School and a BA from Princeton University in neuroscience.