The Cascale Annual Meeting brings together senior leaders from across the value chain to align on the real challenges shaping the industry — from decarbonization and data to policy, capital, and buyer–supplier dynamics — and the models needed to solve them at scale.
Expect candid discussions, sharper perspectives, and direct access to the people shaping how this industry operates next. Join us in Athens, September 15-17, 2026.
Sandrine Dixson-Decleve is the Honorary President CoR for the Club of Rome, Executive Chair and Author, Earth4All; co-Chair/co-Founder of the System Transformation Hub launched in 2024. She sits on multiple Advisory Boards including BMW, UCB, Eurazeo Planetary Boundaries Fund, Climate KIC, Leonardo Centre-Imperial College London, Skysun, Re Imagine EUROPA, The Bridge and Morphisis. She is a Climate Goverance Commissioner, a WHO Pan European Climate & Health Commissioner, an Ambassador for the Well Being Alliance and a Fellow of the World Academy of Science & Art. She also teaches at the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium and is a Strategic Advisor, Fellow and faculty member of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Recent roles include President of the Club of Rome from 2018 to 2024, Chair of the European Commission Expert Group on Economic and Societal Impact of Research & Innovation (ESIR) between 2019 and 2023 and Board member of the Portugues Utility, EDP. Sandrine has spoken at hundreds of conferences across the globe and has published numerous reports, articles, opinion editorials and book chapters. She is a TED Global and TEDx speaker and author of the acclaimed “Earth for All: A survival guide for humanity” which has been translated in 10 languages. Sandrine has been awarded multiple awards and recognized: the 2024 Aenne Burda award for creative leadership, named as one of the “top 50 woman over 50” leading on climate by Forbes, as one of the 30 most influential women across the globe driving change in the low carbon economy by GreenBiz, and as one of 25 global female trailblazers by Reuters.
Vojtech Vosecky is one of the most influential circular economy voices in the world. His experience comes from co-founding a successful think tank, the Institute of Circular Economy. Since then, Vojtech has worked with hundreds of organizations on their circular journey, advised mayors and CEOs, and spoken at the top events. In 2022, he was selected as one of the Top Green Voices in Europe to follow by LinkedIn. Favikon named him the #1 Green LinkedIn Creator to follow in 2024. Today, Vojtech runs a one-person business, The Circular Economists, to help as many people as possible get into the circular economy. He also represents a leading foundation, Circle Economy, as an independent Associate.
John Morrison is an author, advisor to governments and businesses, and board member. His most recent book is “Remaking Sustainability: why the pushback will make it stronger” published by Palgrave Macmillan in May 2026. John was the founding CEO of the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) from 2009-25 and now enjoys a ‘portfolio career’. John is currently the Executive Lead for the Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour for the World Economic Forum, he sits on a board committee for the John Lewis Partnership, and an advisory panel for Tetra Pak, as well as the board of the UK Government’s Office for Responsible Business Conduct. His previous books include: “The Just Transition” (2024), and “The Social License” (2014).
Ying McGuire brings extensive global leadership experience across supply chains, international business development, and nonprofit transformation. She has led complex, multi-stakeholder organizations through periods of growth and change, building strong partnerships with global brands, manufacturers, policymakers, and civil society to deliver measurable impact.
Most recently, McGuire served as CEO and President of the U.S. National Minority Supplier Development Council, where she strengthened organizational performance, expanded stakeholder engagement, and modernized operations to support long-term mission delivery. Earlier in her career, she held senior leadership roles at Dell Technologies and Technology Integration Group, overseeing global market expansion, strategic partnerships, and supply chain initiatives across multiple regions.
Aaron Di Silvestro is the Director of Higg Products at Cascale, the apparel, footwear, and textile industry’s leading alliance for sustainable production. He liaises between the Higg Index subject matter experts and the Higg Co technical teams, develops roadmaps for tool integration, and eases the transition from expert insights to implementation. He works out of Portland, Oregon.
Before joining Cascale, Aaron worked for Nike’s Global Sustainability organization implementing and delivering the tools required to make more sustainable business decisions. Often working in collaboration with Cascale and Higg, Aaron managed the development of the internal Higg MSI implementations and corporate footprinting applications.
In his free time Aaron is a passionate back-country skier and an unapologetic fan of the Seattle Sounders.
Abdul Jabbar Athar, with over 30 years of diverse experience, is currently working as Director Projects & Sustainability for US Group, a leading exporter of Apparel and Textiles from Pakistan to world class brands of America, EU and UK.
Athar is a seasoned expert in delivering pragmatic, results-oriented solutions across the core pillars of Sustainability: Environmental, Social, Economic, and Governance (E2SG). With a proven track record of success, he excels at engaging stakeholders at all levels—from shop-floor employees to boardroom executives—to seamlessly align sustainability initiatives with organisational goals and business strategies. His stewardship in driving the sustainability challenge within US Group has been acknowledged and appreciated at world class customer forums.
His extensive experience spans consultative roles, participative leadership, and direct management, working across diverse industries. Abdul has supported global Fortune 500 companies, leading private firms, and SMEs with, leading his expertise in climate science, green GDP, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), social impact, energy management, supply chain optimization, manufacturing, and global operations.
Leveraging his multidisciplinary experience and strategic insights, Abdul, crafts integrated, actionable sustainability solutions that deliver tangible impact and measurable value for organizations worldwide.
A varied international career fueled Alexandra with a passion for work which combines strategic thinking with her drive to make change happen on the ground. Enthusiastic and incurably optimistic, she believes ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. She thinks solutions and stirs up teams to do the same. She is Brazilian, and after 18 years based in Europe and working internationally, she enjoys the connections made all over the world, but decided that a small community, mountain lifestyle was in order for her and the family. Alexandra is a co-founder and the CEO of Nexial.
A sustainability professional throughout her career, Amanthi has been working in this field since 1999, and her work experience is in varied sectors of Sri Lanka including the NGO, Government, and the Private Sector. Amanthi currently holds the post of Head of Sustainable Business at MAS and has been in the core team involved with the formulation of sustainability strategy at the organization. She is also currently the point person for the United Nations Global Compact for MAS Holdings.
She began her career at MAS in 2007 giving leadership to the Eco Go Beyond Programme – which is a community outreach programme on Sustainable Development Education for youth of rural Sri Lanka. Amanthi has represented MAS Holdings at many national and international forums. These have been in the capacity of presenter, panelist, and judge. A firm believer in education for change, she has been a visiting lecturer on sustainable development at many postgraduate and professional programmes and has also contributed to developing curriculum on environmental sustainability.
She has training in sustainability related fields such as, Sustainability Reporting, GRI, embedding, Sustainable Development and Business, Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001), Business and Human Rights and the Global Compact. Prior to her current appointment she headed Social Sustainability for the group.
Amanthi’s past involvement in the field of environment has seen her work on the Climate Change Enabling Activity Project (Phase II) which was funded by the UNDP and conducted by the Global Affairs Division of the Ministry of Environment. She was also the Editor and Publications Officer of the Environmental Foundation Limited for 3 years. Amanthi has a master’s in environmental sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and obtained her Bachelor of Science from the Open University of Sri Lanka.
Anant Ahuja is the Director of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability at Shahi Exports, India’s largest apparel manufacturer for export. Shahi owns and operates 50+ garmenting units and four textile mills and employs nearly 100,000 people across these facilities. Started by his grandmother in 1974, Shahi has always placed the employment and advancement of women at the core of its business. Since 2012, Anant has been leading positive change across the business through innovation and strategy to align the company’s growth with the development of people, communities, and the environment.
Anant’s belief that the private sector is a critical lever for development and sustainability led him to start Good Business Lab (GBL), a not-for-profit labor innovation company that conducts research to find common ground between worker well-being and business interests.
Anant is a part of Fashion Pact’s Operations Committee and serves on the Yarn Ethically and Sustainably Sourced (YESS) advisory board. He has also served on the H&M Foundation Global Change Award Expert Panel in 2025 & 2026, responsible for selecting winners of the annual award.Anant graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Anna Ryott is globally recognized as a business activist dedicated to creating a better world through business, capital, and creativity. Throughout her career, Anna has held senior leadership positions as CEO and Deputy CEO, while also leading organizations focused on improving the lives of children around the world. Prior to joining EY, she served on the boards of several leading private equity funds and purpose-driven organizations, bringing together deep expertise from the worlds of investment, sustainability, consumer industries, and business transformation. Her experience spans sectors including fashion, consumer goods, finance, and impact investing. In 2019, she co-founded a global initiative aimed at accelerating the UN Sustainable Development Goals through partnerships, creativity, and imagination. Her work has consistently focused on mobilizing leaders and organizations to drive meaningful change at scale. In 2025, Anna joined EY, where she leads the Nordic Impact unit, helping organizations drive sustainable transformation and deliver measurable impact across sectors. She also serves on EY’s global Inclusion & Diversity Board and as Sustainability Leader for Central Europe, bringing together business performance, sustainability, and long-term value creation.
Baptiste, Director and co-founder of 2B Policy, brings extensive expertise from the Apparel and Footwear ecosystem, having worked with manufacturers from Asia to Eastern Europe and South America, established and led Decathlon’s first global sustainability department, and launched the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s European Office. 2B Policy empowers companies and organisations in the consumer goods and services sectors to navigate sustainability regulation and turn it into strategic action, helping businesses stay compliant, proactive, and influential in the face of change. Beyond his professional roles, Baptiste contributes to his family’s organic and agroforestry wine estate in Southern France.
Bethan Taylor is a sustainability leader with deep expertise in ESG strategy, circularity, responsible sourcing and sustainable supply chains across the fashion, retail and apparel sectors. As Global Sustainability Director at Checkpoint Apparel Labeling Solutions and Checkpoint Systems, she works at the intersection of sustainability, product identification and traceability, helping businesses navigate evolving regulatory requirements while unlocking opportunities for circular business models. Bethan is a recognised advocate for circularity and Digital Product Passports, with a strong track record of influencing sustainable product, packaging and labelling strategies across global organisations.
Alongside her corporate leadership role, Bethan serves as Co-chair of the Sustainability Community at RAIN Alliance, where she helps drive industry collaboration on the use of digital technologies to support transparent, circular value chains. A passionate sustainability communicator and policy advocate, she is committed to translating complex regulatory developments into practical actions for brands and manufacturers. At Cascale Annual Meeting 2026, Bethan will lead table discussions exploring how sustainability policy and product labelling can work together to accelerate circularity, improve transparency and enable more informed decision-making across the industry.
Betsy has 25 years’ experience leading sustainability at apparel and footwear brands; launching several cross-industry impact initiatives during that time. Her most recent venture, The Future Supplier Initiative, is an industry-wide program that finances the on-site decarbonization of suppliers in southeast Asia.
Betty is the Senior Manager of Membership Engagement, APAC at the Cascale. She leads the APAC region, ensuring that members have the guidance and support needed to reach joint goals and to utilize the Higg Index tools to drive their sustainability strategies forward. She is based in Hong Kong.
Brad Boren serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer and Director of Innovation. Formerly the Director of Research, Design & Development, he now steers Norrøna’s strategic path for sustainability, which includes driving sustainable innovation and overseeing the 2029 corporate roadmap.
Brad represents the organization across several industry initiatives, including Fashion For Good, Bluesign, Textile Exchange, Cascale and the Scandinavian Textile Initiative for Climate Action. His external engagement includes a past role as Chair of Textile Exchange’s Bio-Synthetic work group, and a member of the Higg Index Strategic Councils for both the Product and Brand and Retail Modules. Additionally, he sits on the steering committee for the Outdoor Industry Association’s Clean Chemicals and Materials working group and serves on the board of the Center for Marine Restoration, an initiative dedicated to restoring 5,000 km² of desertified kelp forests in northern Norway. One current project aims to use this carbon negative feedstock in Norrøna products.
Brad holds an MBA in International Marketing from California Polytechnic and possesses a comprehensive background in management roles at Reebok and Helly-Hansen.
Brian La Plante helps drive YKK’s sustainability efforts as Senior Manager of Sustainability with a focus on strategy, communications, and product innovation. As one of the world’s largest manufacturers of fasteners to the apparel industry, YKK is a leader in sustainability focused on garment circularity, recycled and lower impact input materials, and low carbon production processes.
Representing the company in a host of industry initiatives such as AAFA, Accelerating Circularity, Fashion Producer Collective, Outdoor Industry Association, and Textile Exchange, he works to engage the industry on a range of issues to help drive supply chain decarbonization, circularity, and safe workplaces while ensuring equity between suppliers and their customers.
He currently serves on the steering committee of the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action (UNFICCA), and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Sustainability Advisory Council. Through his work he has sponsored and collaborated on papers addressing circularity challenges, decarbonization financing, and workplace heat stress issues with the goal of bringing innovative solutions to the industry.
Buddhi is a highly accomplished professional with a strong background in sustainability, innovation, and corporate strategy. With extensive experience in driving ESG initiatives and fostering sustainable practices, Buddhi has played key leadership roles in renowned companies.
Prior to his role as Director Sustainability & Innovation for PDS Group, he was the Chief Innovation Officer for the companies Sri Lankan subsidiary – Norlanka.
He has also operated as the Head of Innovations & Director – Group Strategy, Technology & Innovations at Hela Clothing (Hela Apparel Holdings). Buddhi has held managerial positions at MAS Holdings earlier in his career. He has over 12+ years of experience within the industry and possess extensive knowledge in Product & Process Innovation, Corporate Strategy and Lean Manufacturing.
Buddhi holds a BSc (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Robotics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA. Furthermore, he is an associate member of IESL (Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka) and a certified practitioner of Lean Manufacturing.
Chelsea Murtha serves as the association’s advocate and spokesperson on matters of sustainability and product safety. She engages with Congress, the Executive Branch, independent agencies, as well as state and local legislatures and agencies and foreign governments on sustainability, product safety, and chemical management issues important to the industry. Chelsea is also the staff liaison to AAFA’s Environmental Committee and Product Safety Council. Chelsea holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts from the George Washington University.
Clair leads Sustainable Trade Solutions Globally at HSBC. An experienced banking professional, Clair has worked in both the UK and New York, supporting multinational clients across the full spectrum of trade finance.
She has taken her banking expertise into advancing sustainability across global trade, with a particular focus on helping companies decarbonise their supply chains and build resilience into their operations. In her global role, Clair works with corporates around the world, leveraging HSBC’s scale, reach and trade capabilities to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Clair also enjoys learning about new industries and collaborating closely with customers and partners to develop creative solutions that help corporates tackle some of the biggest challenges facing their sector.
Clair holds a master’s degree in medical Biochemistry from the University ofGlasgow, as well as a Master’s in Sustainability and Leadership from the University of Cambridge. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, travelling, and spending time with friends and family.
Daniel Etra is currently Principal Product Architect, AI at Worldly. He has spent over six years as a senior product leader at Worldly and has built and run product teams at growth-stage companies for 15 years. At this year’s event he will go deeper into what the FEM data tells us about industry-wide environmental performance: where trends are heading, how individual facilities compare to the broader picture, and how everyone in the value chain can put that information to work for regulatory reporting and for more resilient commercial relationship.
Dhawall is Cascale Director of Training and Verification and is based in Bangalore, India. He is responsible for building, maintaining, and improving verification and training programs for the Higg Index suite of tools and ensure that the Higg Index is a trusted and credible measure for sustainability performance and benchmarking.
Prior to joining Cascale, Dhawall worked with C&A’s sustainable chemicals management team as a senior specialist. His role involved working with manufacturers of varying complexities and building their capacity to implement environment management systems. He has worked with vertically integrated textile manufacturer Pratibha Syntex as a sustainability manager and was responsible for executing sustainability projects like GHG accounting and reporting, life cycle analysis, internal and external sustainability communications.
Dhawall has been recognized in the 2017 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 cohort of global sustainability professionals. Through Sustainability Drinks Bangalore, he convenes the city’s sustainability community for networking and collaboration opportunities.
Dr. Delman Lee is the Vice Chair of TAL Apparel Limited. He leads TAL Apparel on its long-term strategy and continuous innovations in various aspects of the business. His major focuses are sustainability, digital transformation, lean operations, disruptive technologies and business model innovations. He is responsible for the innovative services of TAL such as Vendor Managed Inventory and leads the sustainability journey of TAL for the past 20+ years. Dr. Lee holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Imperial College, London. Dr. Lee possesses extensive experience in information technology and management in global operations. He also has a strong background in research.
Demith Gooneratne is the Director of Higg Facility Tools at Cascale. His key responsibilities include project management of the Higg FEM, in collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders, and facilitation and coordination of Cascale members’ involvement. This role also continues the development of adoption resources that support the global scaling of the Higg Facility Module and QA testing in cooperation with technical teams and coordination of communications and case studies. He is based in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Prior to joining the Cascale team, Demith was the Senior Manager – Environmental Sustainability at Hirdaramani International Exports (Pvt) Ltd; Sri Lanka, where he was largely responsible for the development of their Environmental Sustainability Department, and managing the environmental sustainability initiatives primarily in Sri Lanka for more than a decade and overlooking strategy level implementation in Bangladesh and Vietnam. He Holds a BSc Degree in Physical Science and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Colombo (Sri Lanka).
In his free time Demith enjoys swimming, watching Sci-Fi Movies and reading articles on new technologies and research findings related to Environment, Renewable Energy and Space Science.
Fleur Meerman is an independent moderator, facilitator, and sustainability expert with more than 20 years of experience working on responsible sourcing, human rights due diligence, supply chain transparency, and stakeholder engagement.
Throughout her career, Fleur has worked across Europe and Asia in retail, manufacturing, consulting, and public policy roles. She serves on the Board of Directors of Open Supply Hub, a global initiative that helps increase supply chain transparency, and has contributed to international sustainability frameworks and guidance, including EFRAG implementation guidance on value chain reporting and due diligence.
As a moderator, Fleur helps organizations turn complex topics into productive conversations. She creates engaging and inclusive environments where participants actively contribute, different perspectives are heard, and discussions lead to practical insights and opportunities for collaboration. Combining deep subject-matter expertise with strong facilitation skills, she helps groups move beyond presentations towards meaningful dialogue and collective action.
As moderator of the Cascale Collaboration Stage, Fleur brings both a strong understanding of the sustainability challenges facing global value chains and extensive experience facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue. She helps participants move beyond sharing experiences towards identifying common challenges, practical insights, and opportunities for collective action.
Hampus Starre Friberg is Head of Sustainability Strategy & Controlling at H&M Group*, a global family of fashion and lifestyle brands united by the ambition to make fashion and design available to everyone. Guided by its purpose, Liberating fashion for the many, H&M Group aims to offer fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way — decoupling growth from resource use, empowering people and communities, and driving change within the industry.
In his role, Hampus leads the team responsible for sustainability strategy, governance, controlling, financing, and external reporting across the Group. He has held leadership roles across design, buying, supply chain, and sustainability, and has worked internationally in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Singapore, Italy, and Sweden.
*H&M Group has around 4,100 stores worldwide, online sales in 61 markets, and approximately 132,000 employees.
Hani Selim is leading BESTSELLER’s environmental programme and is responsible for driving environmental performance improvement across BESTSELLER’s global supplier manufacturing network. His work focuses on building strong supplier partnerships and collaborating across the industry to improve environmental performance at manufacturing sites. Hani brings several years of experience in supply chain sustainability, supplier engagement and decarbonisation across different industries, as well as a background in renewable energy.
Hester Janssens is Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships Lead at Fair Wear, where she builds strategic partnerships, promotes industry alignment, and advances collective action to improve conditions in global garment and footwear supply chains. With a background in human rights due diligence and climate change, she works with businesses, civil society, governments, and multi-stakeholder initiatives to drive responsible business conduct and system-wide change. Her expertise spans partnership development, policy engagement, and stakeholder collaboration, with a focus on creating practical solutions to complex sustainability challenges. Hester holds a Master’s degree in Political History.
Iria Mouzo Lestón is a Public Affairs and Regulatory Affairs Executive with extensive experience helping multinational companies navigate complex policy and regulatory challenges across Europe. She currently serves as Public Affairs Director at Pepco Group, one of Europe’s largest value retailers, where she leads engagement on key regulatory developments affecting retail, trade, sustainability, and supply chains.
Prior to joining Pepco Group, Iria served as Chief Policy Officer at Inditex (ITX), where she was responsible for public policy engagement and upcoming regulatory strategy across a broad range of business-critical issues.
In addition to her corporate role at Pepco, Iria is Senior Advisor at NITID Corporate Affairs, advising organizations on public affairs, regulatory strategy, and stakeholder engagement. She also contributes to academia as a lecturer in public affairs and corporate affairs, combining practical industry expertise with policy insight.
Her work focuses on bridging the gap between regulation and business operations, helping organizations anticipate risks, manage change, and engage constructively in policy discussions at both European and international levels.
Isobel Archer is the Labour Rights Programme Manager at the Business and Human Rights Centre. Isobel joined BHRC to work on migrant worker welfare in the Gulf ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and established the team’s global strategy on safer labour migration. Now her work spans focus areas including the KnowTheChain forced labour benchmark, decent work, the impact of technology on workers’ rights and a just transition. Earlier, Isobel worked on labour rights and business and human rights at a number of organisations, including Shiva Foundation, Ardea International and Environmental Resources Management.
Janet holds more than 25 years of experience in sustainable supply chains, including sustainability consultancy and leadership roles in international development and non-profit organizations. She has served on several boards and councils of multi-stakeholder initiatives. As CEO of SLCP, she is currently responsible for overseeing SLCP’s strategic direction and execution.
Jeff serves as President and CEO of the Fair Labor Association (FLA), an international network of companies, universities, unions, and civil society organizations promoting human rights at work. FLA members come together to ensure that millions of people working at the world’s factories and farms are paid fairly and protected from risks to their health, safety, and well-being, with robust accreditation and monitoring, complaint procedures, collaboration, and innovative models and best practices.
Jeff has been advancing workers’ rights and responsible business practices for two decades, as an organizer, attorney, policymaker, and executive. Throughout his career, he has sought out opportunities to work closely with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including business leaders, labor leaders, investors, tech developers, academics, and public officials.
Jeff holds BSB, JD, MPP, and MBA degrees and has served on multiple boards and committees, including the US State Department’s Responsible Business Conduct Advisory Committee, the Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board, the CHPE Green Economy Fund’s advisory board, and the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable’s board of directors. He has also served as a guest lecturer at Johns Hopkins University and New York University and as a judge for MIT’s Inclusive Innovation Challenge.
Jen Shaw Brown is a senior marketing leader focused on sustainability, compliance, and AI-driven solutions. Across her career, she has developed deep expertise translating complex data and insights into compelling narratives that drive business impact. Previously, she held roles at Watershed and Salesforce, where she drove category-defining positioning and launched solutions for corporate sustainability reporting.
Jeremy Lardeau is the Senior VP of the Higg Index at Cascale. As part of the leadership team, he oversees the strategic direction and development of the Higg Index suite of tools. Jeremy is based in Barcelona, Spain.
Before joining Cascale team, Jeremy was Senior Director of Sustainability Analytics, at Nike, Inc. where he led sustainability reporting, performance management, data products, and reporting. Prior to Nike, Jeremy was a manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ sustainability practice, successively working out of the Paris, Mexico City, and San Francisco offices.
Jeremy holds a Masters in Industrial Engineering from the Ecole Centrale Paris. In his free time he is known to love travelling, running and alpine climbing, but actually enjoys most spending time with his three young boys.
Jimmy is SVP Sustainability & Innovation at ITL Group, a global manufacturer of apparel trims, packaging, RFID, and product compliance solutions serving major retail and apparel customers across North America, the UK, and other global markets.
He leads ITL’s global sustainability and innovation initiatives, focusing on translating ambition into practical action across complex supply chains. He helps brands and manufacturers advance beyond compliance to operate in more transparent, resilient, and responsible ways.
With a background in mechanical engineering and a Master of Science in Climate Change and Sustainable Development from the University of Cape Town, Jimmy offers a practical, implementation-focused perspective shaped by experience in diverse production regions across Asia and Africa. He has also contributed to Cascale as a member of the FEM Strategic Council and MCAP Strategic Council and more recently the MAC.
Jimmy is committed to strengthening collaboration among brands, manufacturers, suppliers, and stakeholders to ensure sustainability programs are credible, practical, and deliver measurable impact across the value chain. His perspective is informed by facility-level realities, global customer expectations, and a personal connection to nature developed through a lifelong passion for fishing, surfing, trail running, and the outdoors.
Joe Franks is an Account Director at Worldly, leading a division that works with global brands and manufacturers to help tackle sustainability challenges across their supply chains. He partners with customers to turn sustainability data into practical insights that support informed decision-making and drive meaningful progress.Before joining Worldly, Joe spent more than a decade in the sustainability and climate technology space, helping organisations use digital solutions to improve transparency, strengthen supplier engagement, and support more sustainable business practices.
Joleen Ong is the Senior Director of Brand and Retailer Membership at Cascale, where she leads all aspects of member engagement to drive industry-wide sustainability impact through the use of Higg Index tools.
With over 15 years of experience in sustainability and human rights within the apparel and footwear industries, Joleen has deep expertise in operationalizing Higg Index tools across brands. Before joining Cascale, she served as the Sustainability Director at Fanatics, where she led the integration of sustainability practices and responsible purchasing initiatives across the enterprise. Prior to Fanatics, she led the Sustainable Manufacturing program at Columbia Sportswear, where she developed supply chain sustainability and climate program and oversaw social responsibility efforts for global licensees. Joleen began her career in the nonprofit sector at Social Accountability International, where she established its communications program and co-founded the Global Living Wage Coalition.
Joleen holds a Master’s in Nonprofit and Sustainability Management from The New School and a Bachelor’s in International Studies, Spanish, and Anthropology from the College of New Jersey. A published writer and editor of two award-winning short documentaries, she serves on the Board of Days for Girls International and the Advisory Board of the University of Oregon’s Sports Product Management program, where she frequently lectures. She’s currently based in Portland, Oregon.
Karin is the CEO of Leadership & Sustainability, an approved FEM and SLCP verifying body with global presence.
Karin has a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Chalmers, Gothenburg, and ETH Zürich technical universities and a Diploma from post-studies in environmental management at the University of Zürich. She has more than 35 years of international consulting and industry experience in several sectors, based out of Switzerland, Brazil, Sweden, and Germany. Karin has spent five years in the position as Head of Environmental Services at adidas Group, one of the world’s leading sporting goods companies. At adidas, she was responsible for establishing and maintaining group-wide environmental strategies and programs for the company’s internal business operations and its global supply chain.
From 2012 to 2013, Karin was the inaugural Chair of the Board of Directors at Cascale. Karin is one of the first approved Cascale Higg FEM (Facility Environmental Module) verifier (general and chemical specialist) and trainer. She has also been engaged in several of the Cascale working groups related to the development of Higg FEM and participated in the stakeholder engagement on the verification evolution. Karin is also an approved Higg BRM (Brand and Retail Module) verifier.
Kathryn Smith serves as Worldly’s Vice President, Human Rights Risk Solutions, leading its social compliance and human rights strategy. Prior to joining Worldly, she served as Senior Director, Responsible Sourcing – Human Rights & Environment at Walmart, where she spent nearly 12 years building and running programs that set the standard for large-scale supply chain accountability.
Katie Hess is the Head of Product, Better Buying, where she leads product vision and strategy, enhances internal research processes, and ensures that buyer and supplier needs remain at the forefront. Her work is dedicated to making data-driven insights more impactful, ultimately driving improvements in buyer purchasing practices.
With a strong background in product management and strategy, Katie has spent much of her career in the tech sector, holding roles ranging from Product Manager to Chief Strategy Officer at multiple SaaS start-ups and established organizations. She is passionate about building high-performing teams, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and keeping a sharp focus on purpose-driven work.
Katy is a seasoned professional with nearly two decades of experience in the outdoor industry, spanning roles in research, product development, and sustainability. Holding a BSc in Materials Science and a PhD in Textile Engineering, she combines academic rigor with hands-on expertise. For the past eight years, Katy has been a key member of the European Outdoor Group, where she now leads as the Head of CSR and Sustainability. In this role, she champions initiatives that drive brands to address the environmental and ethical complexities of the textile supply chain. Outside of work, Katy is an outdoor enthusiast who finds joy in running through forests and hiking mountains, discovering secluded lakes for a swim, and indulging in her passion for needlecraft.
Kevin Vranes is the Chief Product Officer for Worldly. He is a highly accomplished software executive, most recently involved in launching and leading the build-out of Salesforce’s Net Zero Cloud product. With a Ph.D. in Geophysics (Ocean and Climate Physics), he brings 20 years of experience in Earth, environmental science, and energy management. Kevin has also spent 20 years in technical software, from development to product management. He has held executive roles in cleantech startups and leadership positions in software product management, contributing to the high-tech, cleantech, and energy/environmental sectors.
Kim van der Weerd is a human rights advocate turned garment factory manager turned advocate for amplifying producer perspectives on sustainability. She is currently the co-founder and CEO of the Fashion Producer Collective, a producer-led sustainability think tank whose vision is a world where producers are co-creators of sustainability not just its implementers. She previously worked as General Manager of Pactics Phnom Penh, a garment factory producing for the luxury eyewear industry and as COO of Tonlé, a zero-waste brand that owned and managed its own production, both based in Cambodia. She also previously worked as the Intelligence Director for Transformers Foundation and co-founded and hosted Manufactured Podcast. She holds a M.Sc. in human rights from the London School of Economics.
For the past 4,5 years, Koen Oosterom is Head of Signatory Engagement at the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry which is headquartered in Amsterdam. The International Accord focuses on improving fire and building safety at garment factory in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In that capacity, Koen is responsible for the engagement with some 300 Accord signatory companies. Koen has some 30 years of professional working experience, including nine years working for the United Nations in Asia where he managed a joint UN programme in Vietnam. Working for UN’s International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI), Koen has built strong thematic experience in private sector and export development, particularly in the home decoration and garments sectors. Between 2015 and 2021, Koen was country manager for Bangladesh and Myanmar at Fair Wear Foundation (FWF). At Fair Wear, Koen was also responsible for the internal development of the Fair Price costing app and has delivered extensive training on purchasing practices and labour minute/product costing for both brands and manufacturers in Asia.
Lars Dömer is VP Chemical Intelligence & Traceability at Worldly and Co-founder of GoBlu. With more than 25 years of experience in the textile industry, he has worked across manufacturing, global brands and consulting, giving him a unique perspective on the challenges of building more sustainable and transparent supply chains.
GoBlu developed The BHive to simplify chemical management through digital innovation and continues that journey at Worldly, where he is helping transform factory data into actionable business intelligence. Lars believes the future of supply chains lies in trusted primary data that enables better decisions, greater transparency and real business value.
Lauren Shields sits in the Centre for Responsible Business Conduct at the OECD, where she leads work to promote OECD standards on due diligence and RBC with industry- and multi-stakeholder initiatives. Prior to joining the OECD, she was a director at EY building the firm’s sustainable supply chain practice in Europe. Before that, Lauren was programmatic lead for BSR’s HERproject, a multi-sector collaborative initiative to promote gender equality in supply chains. She has supply chain work experience in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, and Vietnam.
Lena always wanted a career with purpose. As Chief Operating Officer at Better Cotton, Lena loves that she works for an organisation with a single mission and clear focus that directly benefits cotton farmers around the world. Lena has a background in sustainability and holds degrees in Politics and Geography, and Environment and Development. She is inspired by commitment and by people who follow their values and passions, even if it means taking the road less travelled.
Better Cotton brings together cotton farmer and producer organisations; textile retailers and brands; spinners, mills, gins and other companies in the cotton supply chain; and representatives of civil society, alongside governments and public authorities to help cotton production become sustainable – and so better for the environment, better for the people who depend on it and better for the sector.
Dr. Leonie Vaas is the General Manager of Group Sustainability at Hirdaramani Apparel, leading the sustainability efforts across Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Vietnam. With over 17 years of experience in the textile and apparel industry, she has been recognised globally for her leadership in sustainability. In 2021, she became the first Sri Lankan to be named a ‘United Nations SDG Pioneer 2021 for Responsible Production’ and in 2022, she was recognised as ‘Asia’s Sustainability women’.
She holds a PhD in Sustainability Management from IIC University of Technology, Cambodia and an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK and She is a Chemical Engineer from the Engineering Council UK.
Dr. Vaas also holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification, is a GRI Standards Certified Professional and serves as a Lead Auditor for ISO 14001.
She is an international speaker who has represented Sri Lanka at numerous global conferences and forums, sharing insights on sustainability, innovation, and industry transformation. In addition to her corporate leadership role, she contributes to the local academia as a visiting lecturer in sustainability at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa.
Loretta’s passion for — and experience in — supply chain sustainability began over 15 years ago as an ecology student at UCLA. She spent the first part of her career in the field collecting water, soil, and dust samples to support plaintiffs who’d been impacted by irresponsible business practices, and suffered physical harm from their polluted environments.
It was there that she saw firsthand the importance of supply chain transparency including monitoring, tracking, asking the right questions, and getting stakeholder engagement to identify and prevent the type of harm she saw happening to people and the planet.
Since joining Worldly over 4 years ago, Loretta has focused on helping facilities understand the importance of building their own environmental and social compliance programs that improve working conditions and reduce environmental impact on local communities.
Maravillas Rodriguez Zarco is the Senior Director, Higg Index Strategy & Operations, at Cascale. As part of her role, she ensures that the Higg Index tool strategy and tool development roadmap are aligned with Cascale’s overall impact strategy and priorities, and that the different tool development roadmaps are integrated with each other and with other external programs. She also coordinates the Higg Index team’s internal operations to ensure the effective delivery of the team objectives across the different Higg Index teams. She collaborates across the organization to ensure coherent strategy execution, fostering alignment and operational effectiveness.
Before her current role, Maravillas was the Director, Higg Brand & Retail at Cascale. Her responsibilities included managing the Higg Brand and Retail Module and coordinating with Coalition members, facilities, and stakeholders to scale the implementation of this tool globally. Prior to her time at Cascale, she served for 10 years as the CSR & Sustainability Manager at Desigual, where she managed key projects aimed at minimizing the company’s environmental impact, while promoting ethical trading and human rights. This ensured the company operated responsibly across all facets. She also built strong relationships with stakeholders, fostering transparency in the company’s sustainability initiatives.
Prior to her tenure at Desigual, Maravillas worked as a Sustainability & CSR consultant, and she is a professional with over 15 years of experience.
Maravillas holds a degree in Biology from University of Seville and a Masters in Environmental Impact Assessment from University of Barcelona. In her free time she enjoys combining her two favorite hobbies: traveling and trying new food from all around the world. She also teaches Sustainability classes to Business and Communication masters degree students.
Marina Prados is the Director of the Policy Hub – Circularity for Apparel & Footwear, where she leads policy coordination and external engagement across the textile value chain. She drives technical discussions with global stakeholders—from manufacturers to recyclers—on implementing legislative instruments that promote circularity and sustainability in the sector. Marina also spearheads dialogue with European institutions and industry representatives on key topics such as eco-design requirements for textiles, due diligence obligations, business-to-business and business-to-consumer communication, product composition, and textile waste management, ensuring policies are both ambitious and grounded in the sector’s practical realities.
Mark Burstein is Senior Vice President, Americas at Inspectorio, a cloud-based platform that helps brands, retailers, and manufacturers manage supply chain risk and comply with evolving global regulations.
Mark partners with global fashion and retail leaders to develop technology and data strategies for navigating an increasingly complex regulatory landscape—including human rights and social compliance, extended producer responsibility, customs and tariff reporting, product safety, traceability, and sustainability disclosure. He brings particular expertise in applying AI, machine learning, and connected supply chain data to reduce fragmented compliance processes, strengthen due diligence, and improve audit-ready reporting.
With more than three decades of executive leadership across technology, manufacturing, sourcing, quality, logistics, and supply chain transformation, Mark is a trusted advisor to organizations operating in complex global markets.
Mark has been recognized as a “Supply Chain Pro to Know” more than a dozen times and was selected as “Pro of the Year.” He is a member of the Forbes Technology Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, contributing to initiatives related to trade, sustainability, social responsibility, and product safety.
Marshall Clemens is founder of Idiagram; a consulting firm dedicated to the application of systemic analysis and mapping to facilitate understanding, strategy-making, and alignment for complex multi-stakeholder problems. Marshall has 24 years of experience designing visual tools to help solve complex global issues such as obesity, mental capital, sustainable finance, and sustainable supply chains Marshall is a co-founder and our mapping guru.
Natalie Flournoy Grillon is founder and CEO of Open Supply Hub, a nonprofit powering the transition to safe and sustainable supply chains with the world’s most complete, open and accessible map of global production. Championing access to open data and transparent practices, Natalie has worked for a decade to launch innovative solutions to complex problems in global supply chains. Previously, she co-founded Project JUST, an online platform to help bring transparency to fashion supply chains and empower consumers to shift their purchasing behavior. She is an Acumen Fellow, DRK Fellow, and a Return Peace Corps Volunteer.
Nate Herman took on the role of Executive Vice President in 2025, following more than 20 years at the association and from the position of SVP of Policy. In addition to steering the association’s strategic plan, Nate oversees AAFA’s Policy department, managing the association’s lobbying, policy, and regulatory affairs activities. Nate leads AAFA’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, formulating and implementing CSR policy and representing AAFA and the industry on CSR issues before governments, NGOs, and other key stakeholders.
In addition, Nate develops all apparel and footwear industry data and statistics as AAFA’s resident economist. Prior to joining AAFA, Nate worked for six years at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration assisting U.S. firms in entering the global market. Nate spent the final two years as the Commerce Department’s industry analyst for the footwear and travel goods industries. Nate received a Masters of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh in 1994 and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics from the University of Delaware in 1992.
Naurin Muzaffar is Lead Sustainability Advisor to one of Pakistan’s leading vertically integrated denim manufacturers, where her work spans Higg FEM implementation, supply chain decarbonisation and its financing, and EU regulatory readiness. She holds an independent expert seat on the Cascale Technical Advisory Committee.
Naurin is also Founder and Director of Innovatus, a sustainability and social compliance consultancy operating across Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and the EU, and an active member of the Fashion Producer Collective, advancing production-country voice in industry governance. Her experience covers facility-level assessment methodology, environmental and social performance tools, and third-party verification for international brands and multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Based between Washington DC and Lahore, Naurin brings a practitioner’s perspective on how sustainability tools and standards land on the factory floor — and how governance can better reflect those who implement them.
Dr. Niklas Lollo is a Principal Product Manager at Worldly, specializing in Insights & Actionability with over ten years of experience in the industry. His expertise is grounded in a PhD and MS in Energy & Resources from the University of California, Berkeley, where his research focused on supply chain sustainability. This work included apparel factory engagement and learning in China, Bangladesh, and Thailand. This work was published in prestigious academic journals including California Management Review and PLoS One.
At Worldly, Niklas leverages his deep understanding of complex data and global supply chains to build products that empower users to translate insights into meaningful action. He is passionate about creating data-driven solutions that drive tangible impact. Attendees can expect to learn practical strategies for identifying key insights from Worldly data and developing clear, actionable steps within their organizations, drawing from Niklas’s extensive experience in both research and product development, as well as his in-depth knowledge of sustainability and global supply chains.
Oli is the Europe Engagement Manager for the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), where he drives efforts to support European companies and sector initiatives in setting climate targets aligned with net zero by 2050. In this role, he engages stakeholders to promote the work of SBTi and support the development and refinement of the SBTi’s standards, to advance ambitious corporate climate action to achieve emissions reductions at scale.
Prior to joining the SBTi, he served as Global Sustainability Lead at McCann Worldgroup, where he developed the company’s global sustainability strategy. He also has worked at Diageo within the ESG team.
I have over 30 years of global experience in apparel manufacturing and sustainability leadership. A postgraduate in Garment Manufacturing Technology from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), I have led the transformation of manufacturing operations through low-impact manufacturing, green factories, decarbonization, and resource efficiency. My work has delivered pioneering sustainability outcomes, including achieving 100% Higg FEM implementation across operations and the industry’s first Net Zero Trifecta, while strengthening operational competitiveness across multiple geographies. Based in Bengaluru, I have been with CIEL Textile since 2009 and currently serve as Group Head of Sustainability and Global Director of Manufacturing for Aquarelle Group, leading strategy, governance, and manufacturing excellence across Mauritius, Madagascar, and India.
Rick Horwitch is Chief of Sustainability & Supply Chain Strategy – for Bureau Veritas – Consumer Products Services. He has been with BV for 21 years. In this role, his focus is on developing Supply Chain Quality Management and Sustainability (SCQMS) solutions to help their customers protect their brands, reduce costs and ESG impacts, improve efficiencies and the customer experience.
Rick has over 40 years’ experience in the apparel, textile and consumer products industries covering all facets of business – sourcing, product development, sales, marketing and operations with companies such as Warnaco, Kurt Salmon Associates, and Deena.
He is regular speaker at conferences around the world, and an active participant on numerous industry and education boards, including:American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) – Board of DirectorsAmericas Apparel Producers Network (AAPN) – Executive Board (former Chairman)Advisory Boards of:Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New YorkUniversity of Delaware Department of Fashion & Design
Rick is a graduate of Tulane University. He is married, has two children, two grandchildren and lives in Calabasas, CA.
Rick Ridgeway is an environmentalist, writer, photographer, filmmaker, and businessman who is also recognized as one of the world’s foremost mountaineers. For fifteen years beginning he oversaw environmental affairs at the outdoor clothing company Patagonia. Before joining Patagonia, he was owner/ president of Adventure Photo & Film, a leading stock photo and film agency. He has authored seven books—including his recent memoir Life Lived Wild, and dozens of magazine articles, and produced or directed many documentary films. Rick was honored by National Geographic with their Lifetime Achievement in Adventure Award and by the Explorers Club with their Explorers Medal. Rick serves on the boards of Tompkins Conservation, the Turtle Conservancy, and One Earth, and is on WWF’s National Council. He has three children and four grandchildren, and lives in Ojai, California.
Scott Raskin is the CEO of Worldly, where he champions the idea that impactful change springs from actionable measures. Leveraging years of leadership experience in tech companies, he steers Worldly toward sustainable growth, providing brands, manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers with solutions to enhance their positive environmental and social impact.
Scott’s commitment to results and customer satisfaction positions Worldly as an essential platform for consumer goods companies seeking to lessen their footprint, adhere to regulations, and promote transparency. His management style, deeply rooted in valuing people and culture, inspires creativity and teamwork. Guided by a firm resolve to create significant change, Scott’s leadership shapes Worldly’s contribution to a more responsible corporate world.
Scott is focused on leading the evolution and expansion of Worldly’s platform to include new capabilities, innovations, and automation to empower sustainability-minded companies to analyze, understand, report, and improve their supply chain and product impacts.
Dr. Thiwanka De Fonseka is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Komar. He has a doctorate in sustainability, three masters, and two bachelors in the areas of environmental science, chemistry, business management, and project management. He oversees and leads the environmental sustainability and product sustainability pillars at Komar, focusing on decarbonization, water and wastewater management, chemical management, waste management, biodiversity, sustainable raw materials, sustainable packaging, product circularity, etc., internally and in its supply chain. Dr. Thiwanka De Fonseka’s career combines environmental science and chemistry expertise with a commitment to sustainability, circularity, and innovation.
Before joining Komar, Dr. Thiwanka De Fonseka held executive roles in ZDHC, M&S, and MAS Holdings. He has contributed to significant advancements in sustainability practices, emphasizing practical solutions for complex environmental challenges. Known for his ability to work under pressure, tackle difficult challenges, and think outside the box, Dr. Thiwanka De Fonseka continues to drive Komar’s commitments to ethical and sustainable business models aligned with its 2030 sustainability strategy. “Sus-Tex 2030”.
Tom leads the policy and stakeholder engagement strategy at SLCP, ensuring the organization is recognized and aligned with relevant policy and legal developments. He also works closely with the data insights and communications teams in developing data-driven publications. Originally from Australia, Tom brings experience from international NGOs and legal clinics, where he focused on business & human rights research and labour rights in global value chains.
Pilio’s work and my focus is on accelerating decarbonisation, supporting renewable-energy solutions in farm level, protecting biodiversity, empowering women, and increasing awareness so that consumers and companies can make better-informed choices.
At Cascale, I contribute by connecting sustainability ambitions with business implementation, supporting collaboration between global stakeholders, and helping develop solutions that are commercially viable, environmentally responsible, and socially inclusive.
Mr. Vidhura Ralapanawe has over 16 years of experience in apparel sustainability and has a background in climate research, energy transition, and renewable energy. Currently, he is dedicated to shaping Epic Group’s sustainability strategy and leading implementation across manufacturing, products, and the supply chain. Previously, he worked for 12 years at MAS Intimates. He is a contributor to resource efficiency, LCAs, green buildings, and sustainable product innovation.
