From the Sector

Rajiv Sharma has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Archroma with key responsibility for the Textile Effects business, effective October 1, 2024. Current Group CEO Mark Garrett will transition to the Archroma Board of Directors.

Rajiv Sharma comes to Archroma following a 14-year tenure with Coats Group plc, where he was Group Chief Executive for the last eight years. As head of the UK-listed company, which is the world leader in thread manufacturing and structural components for apparel and footwear, Mr. Sharma created a platform for profitable growth and shaped a company culture based on customer centricity, innovation, digitalization and sustainability.

In parallel with these leadership changes, Archroma’s Packaging Technologies business will be established as a focused business activity from October 1, 2024, with the aim of increasing its focus on the packaging business and accelerating its development. It will continue under the leadership of its CEO, Sameer Singla, who will report directly to the Archroma Board of Directors. Packaging Technologies has also delivered substantial growth with more dedicated leadership over the past two years and the organizational changes will help both Textile Effects and Packaging Technologies continue to focus on best serving their respective customers and markets.

As of October 1, 2024, Dr. Christian Rink will take over the position of global CFO of the CHT Group held by Prof. Dr. Klaus Müller on an interim basis. In this role, he will be responsible for Finance & Controlling, Information Technology, Digitalization, Compliance Management and Project Management. From now on, Dr. Christian Rink will form the Management Board together with CEO Eva Baumann.

Dr. Rink has gained extensive experience in various functions within the Bosch Group, where he held management positions in Logistics and Finance & Controlling. Among other things, he was Commercial Head Asia Pacific for the Bosch Home Comfort Group in Shanghai, China, and most recently Vice President Finance and Controlling of the Business Unit Electric Solutions which was responsible for building up the Bosch Group's heat pump business.

Beaulieu International Group (B.I.G.) announces the appointment of its new CEO, Mr. Jean-Baptiste De Ruyck. This step marks a new era of leadership and stability for the company.

Jean-Baptiste De Ruyck has a background in senior leadership roles and international finance. He is moving over from AbrisoJiffy where he transformed the company from a local business to a pan-European leader in protective packaging and insulation. He has a strong track record in profitability improvement, growth and building highly effective teams. Prior to that, he was CEO of food packaging company Omniform. Previously he led a start-up in Latin America. He started his career in Investment Banking in London where he spent more than 6 years executing M&A and financing transactions across Europe. He holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Brussels, a Master in Finance from Vlerick Business School and completed several Leadership courses at INSEAD.

Jean-Baptiste De Ruyck takes over the torch from Pol Deturck who left the company at the end of June 2024. His official start date is still to be mutually agreed upon, but in the coming months Jean-Baptiste will gradually settle in at Beaulieu International Group.

Carbios announced the appointment of Tommy Maussin as its Chief Marketing Officer, effective 2 September 2024.  His mission involves developing and overseeing CARBIOS’ global marketing and sales activities with brands across various industries, including packaging, textiles, luxury, automotive, cosmetics, healthcare, and industrial goods. Maussin will be responsible for enhancing Carbios’ global presence to initiate and conclude commercial agreements with brand owners. His proven track record of profitable businesses in a variety of industries, and in complex and international environments, is expected to play a pivotal role in shaping Carbios’ customer-centric marketing strategies moving forward.  Tommy Maussin joins the Executive Committee and reports to Emmanuel Ladent, Chief Executive Officer of CARBIOS.

With over 17 years of experience in international business for several Michelin tire divisions, Maussin spent the last four as European Director and Vice President of its lifestyle division, successfully transforming operations and driving substantial growth for Michelin Guides and Robert Parker Wine Advocate across various regions. His vision for Carbios centers on driving business growth through strategic execution, fostering multicultural teams, and maintaining a strong focus on customer relationships to drive business growth.

adidas Sportswear launches its latest sport meets style drop, the ADIDAS Z.N.E. collection, in a campaign which brings together next-gen faces, including Tate McRae, Jude Bellingham and Noah Lyles, to showcase how all can stay connected through a shared love of football, athletics, dance, music and more, across the globe. The all-new set of hoodies, sweatshirts, pants, tees and shorts take on color blocking details, whilst the black parallel stripes symbolize the lines that connect communities and fandoms to inspire all to unite through sport and culture.

Fronting the new capsule of fresh looks is a collective of adidas’ next-gen trailblazers: Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer Tate McRae, actress and martial artist Xochitl Gomez, leading KPOP group BABYMONSTER, US track star Noah Lyles, Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming and football icons Jude Bellingham, Alessia Russo and Paulo Dybala. With each representing a community from the world of sport or culture, the ADIDAS Z.N.E. collection was inspired by the lines in their field of play – from the track, to the stage and pitch.

National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued the following statement on news of the passing of Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ).

Statement by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas:

"The entire U.S. textile industry is mourning the loss of Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), a true leader and advocate for critical manufacturing policies aimed at bolstering the domestic supply chain and confronting ongoing threats from predatory trade practices.

We commend his significant contributions – not just to the U.S. domestic industry—but for American manufacturers and workers everywhere.

Rep. Pascrell had served as co-chair of the House Textile Caucus with Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) since 2013 and was an ardent fighter for the U.S. textile industry and beyond.

In April, Congressman Pascrell championed a bill titled the Import Security and Fairness Act led by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) that would exclude all Chinese imports from de minimis treatment, as highlighted in our blog post on a House Ways & Means markup.

He also penned an op-ed with Congressman McHenry highlighting the urgent need to drive investment and for onshoring and nearshoring textile and apparel production and to not weaken the critical U.S. and Central America  Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)..

In addition, he co-sponsored legislation aimed at strengthening the American PPE supply chain which would expand the Berry Amendment to nearly all federal purchases of PPE.

As is evidenced above, Congressman Pascrell took on every policy battle in support of U.S. textiles and manufacturing in general as an unwavering supporter of maintaining and expanding a vital domestic manufacturing chain.  He worked closely with Rep. McHenry on critical textile issues to advance the cause for our domestic industry and its workforce.

He will be missed deeply by the industry and to all who knew him. We extend our gratitude to a manufacturing warrior and express our condolences to the entire Pascrell family and his staff team."

Dr. Alfred J. Beerli, the new CEO of OEKO-TEX®, started in June. Dr Beerli brings experience in strategic management consulting and operational, IT and knowledge management.

The Swiss native has served as CEO of information and communications technology consultancy uniQconsulting ag and workwear provider workfashion.com ag. From 2012 to 2016 he was a Board Member of amfori BSCI, a leading initiative to improve working conditions in global supply chains.

In his role as CEO of OEKO-TEX®, Dr Beerli is further developing the OEKO-TEX® portfolio. Along with the 17 independent research and testing institutes of the OEKO-TEX® Association he is committed to ensuring sustainable and transparent processes in the international textile and leather industry. A focus of his work is dialogue and cooperation with government institutions, initiatives and trade associations, for which he has excellent expertise and an extensive network.

Gunold GmbH, a company specialized in embroidery thread, introduces a change in management. With Aileen and Kevin Gunold taking over the management on April 1, 2024, the company is now being run by the fourth generation of the Gunold family. Christoph Gunold, who managed the company for almost three decades, is delighted that his children are continuing the family business.

Kevin Gunold, with a degree in Business Administration and Law, shares his experience from the automotive industry, while Aileen Gunold, who studied International Business Administration and gained extensive experience in corporate and marketing consulting, contributes her expertise in strategic and operational areas such as business development and customer experience management.

The Gunold GmbH, which is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary, relies on the pillars of reliability and 24/7 online ordering options. For long-term competitiveness, it is also crucial to make the business models sustainable in terms of environmental and social aspects. Digitization is an important key to securing the future of the company.

Barry-Wehmiller announces a new role that will bring change to the organization. Doug Neal has been appointed Vice President of Continuous Improvement and will lead the efforts to reboot the organization's dedication to operational excellence. Neal brings over three decades of experience in operations and continuous improvement across diverse industries, spanning from healthcare to manufacturing, making him a pivotal addition to the leadership team.

Most recently, Neal worked at Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer), where he held roles such as Senior Director, Global Lean; Senior Director, Planning and Logistics; and Senior Director, Service Operations. He holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial management from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration from Pennsylvania Western University Clarion.

Neal's skill set includes expertise in multisite operations and international business systems, along with extensive experience in manufacturing and transactional process improvement. His appointment marks a strategic move toward enhancing Barry-Wehmiller's global commercial, operational and organizational strategies.

Better Cotton has announced the appointment of two new co-chairs and five new members to its Council.  

The new co-chairs are Bill Ballenden, a newly elected member and the Head of Sustainability and Innovation at Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) Cotton, and Tamar Hoek, Senior Policy Director for Sustainable Fashion at Solidaridad. Together, they will execute the duty of chair, acting both as internal and external ambassadors for Better Cotton and ensuring policy decisions are presented to the council and appropriately considered.

Better Cotton has also welcomed representatives from Marks & Spencer, J.Crew, leading Pakistani spinner Nishat Chunian and Mozambican farmer body FONPA, to its council, who join with a retroactive start date of 1 June 2024.

In addition to Bill Ballenden, other newly elected members of the Better Cotton Council include:

• Doug Forster, Chief Sourcing Officer at J.Crew Group, has been instrumental in streamlining the company’s supplier guide and has extensive experience driving sustainability initiatives at numerous apparel firms. 
• Elodie Gilart, Senior Sustainability Manager at Marks & Spencer, currently leads the company’s raw materials and circularity strategy for clothing and home products.  
• Nadia Bilal, Managing Director of Spinning at Nishat Chunian, supports strategic raw material planning, market trend analysis and project management at the company, which is among the top-ranked employers in Pakistan’s textile sector for women’s empowerment.
• Vicente Sando, Executive Coordinator at FONPA, Mozambique’s National Forum of Cotton Farmers, has a wealth of experience in agricultural development and advocacy.

Better Cotton has also announced the re-election of Rajan Bhopal, International Project Manager (Supply Chain) at PAN UK, and Shahid Zia, Executive Director at the Lok Sanjh Foundation to its council.  

With these newly elected members come the departure of three members from the Council. Gerson Fajardo of Walmart; Pierre Chebab of Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC); and Kevin Quinlan, Independent, have completed their tenures and now left the council.

The Better Cotton Council, which is the subject of a biennial nomination and election process, comprises a select group of members which sit at the centre of the organisation and are responsible for its strategic direction. Council members represent retailers, brands, manufacturers, suppliers, producers, and civil society across the cotton industry.