Speaker Profiles

Matthijs Crietee, Secretary General, International Apparel Federation (IAF)

Matthijs’ is the Secretary General of the International Apparel Federation (IAF). The IAF now represents the interests of apparel industry associations representing in turn over 60 countries on all continents in the international arena with a strong emphasis on manufacturers and small and medium sized brands. Before he joined the IAF in 2012, Matthijs was deputy director of the Dutch fashion industry association MODINT during which time he built up an important part of MODINT’s consultancy activities. Matthijs has a Master’s degree in International Economics and Economic Geography.

Cem Altan, President, IAF

Cem Altan is the President of International Apparel Federation (IAF) and one of the most successful manufacturers in Turkey for more than 30 years. Cem Altan has a degree in Textile Engineering at Nottingham Trent University in UK. After his graduation in 1983, he worked for retail groups until in 1991, when he established his garment manufacturing company, Aycem Textiles. Now, in Cem Altan’s second term as President of the International Apparel Federation (IAF) he continues his work to make the sector greener and more sustainable. Cem Altan is also Vice Chair for Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TGSD) and Chair of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (IHKIB) education trust. He has been head of Istanbul Fashion Week and Koza Young Designers Competition for the last 31 years.

Dr. Christian Schindler, Director General, International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF)

Born in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1968, Dr. Schindler studied economics at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, from where he graduated in 1994. Between 1995 and 1998 he worked as personal assistant of two Members of Parliament in the German Bundestag, Bonn. In 1998 he joined the Federation of German Wholesale and Foreign Trage (BGA) in Bonn/Berlin as personal assistant and speechwriter of Association's President. Between 2001 and 2004 he studied at the Institute of Economic Policy at the University of Cologne, Germany, where he wrote his thesis and obtained a doctorate degree in 2004.

Dr. Schindler was appointed Economist of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) on October 1, 2004, and was promoted to the position of Director in 2006. At the Federation's Annual Conference in Dubai, UA, in September 2006 he was nominated and elected Director General as of January 1, 2007.

Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, Sector Engagement Lead, Global Climate Action, UN Climate Change

Lindita Xhaferi Salihu leads work on sector engagement in climate action as part of UN Climate Change wider Global Climate Action work. She led development of both Sports for Climate Action and Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and works closely with a variety of stakeholders to mobilise key actors and catalyse ambitious action towards decarbonisation. Before joining UN Climate Change, Lindita worked in public relations and coordinated projects promoting multi-stakeholder engagement in policy and sustainability. Lindita has an educational background in engineering, international relations and global energy & climate policy.

Miran Ali, Managing Director of Bitopi Group, Former Vice President, BGMEA, ATTI Global Council

Selçuk Mehmet Kaya, İHKİB Board Member and Chairman of İHKİB Sustainability and IR Committee

Selçuk Mehmet Kaya has over 35 years of experience in finance and textiles. After early roles in international finance, he held executive positions in leading Turkish textile and apparel companies. Since 2000, he has been Chairman of TYH Textile. He has been a Board Member of İstanbul Apparel Exporters Association (İHKİB) since 2018.

Fernando de Bunes, Chief Sustainability Officer, Inditex

Fernando de Bunes is Chief Sustainability Officer at Inditex, where he leads the company’s sustainability strategy. Since joining Inditex’s financial department in 2008, he has held key roles both at the Group’s central headquarters and in its Hong Kong office. Before Inditex, he served in the Spanish Ministries of Economy and Finance and Foreign Affairs. He holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley

Felicity Tapsell, Head of Responsible Sourcing, BESTSELLER

Felicity Tapsell has 15 years’ experience developing and delivering sustainability and responsible sourcing strategies across global apparel and footwear supply chain. In her current position as Head of Responsible Sourcing at BESTSELLER, Felicity leads the global team working to secure the human rights and environmental risks at more than 400 suppliers, which produce at more than 800 factories, employing over 700,000 people across 29 production countries. In addition to participation in many multi-stakeholder initiatives for social and environmental impact, Felicity is also currently serving as a brand representative on the Steering Committee of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, and the Board of Directors of the RMG Sustainability Council in Bangladesh. Felicity lives in Copenhagen with her family.

Eva von Alvensleben, Executive Director, The Fashion Pact

As Executive Director of The Fashion Pact (TFP), Eva leads the implementation of the organisation’s CEO-led agenda towards a nature-positive and net-zero future for the fashion industry. TFP brings together companies from the fashion and textile industry across the value chain and focuses its efforts in four main areas: renewable energy, lower impact production, lower impact materials and biodiversity.

With long-standing experience as a sustainability expert, Eva has been involved in key initiatives, such as setting up the Fashion work at IMAGINE, and leading strategic projects at Kering, building the group’s worldwide sustainability strategy “crafting tomorrow’s luxury”.

Throughout her career, Eva has led the development of sustainable strategies to foster innovative business models while building positive social, environmental, and financial returns

Andrew Martin, Executive Vice President, Cascale

Andrew is responsible for delivering strategic and operational leadership within Cascale. While continuing to oversee the Membership, Stakeholder Engagement, Collective Action, and Public Affairs teams, as second-in-command at Cascale, he is responsible for driving growth of the organization to ensure it can scale impact and deliver value to members

Andres Bragagnini, Senior Manager of Strategic Engagement, Apparel Impact Institute (Aii)

Andres has been managing prestigious business partnerships for the past several years through the lens of sustainable development in the UK, EU, and American markets, unlocking science-based sector roadmaps for the consumer goods, apparel, retail, agriculture, transport, and energy industries. His focus is on developing multi-stakeholder common languages for people and planet – driven by business. His close work with corporate leaders and supply-chain operations – including Unilever, Procter & Gamble, M&S, ASOS, Primark – has ensured his understanding of the transformation required at a systems and practical level. At Apparel Impact Institute, Andres drives brand and NGO partnerships to identify, fund, and scale Aii’s proven decarbonization solutions for textile supply chains.

Olivia Windham Stewart, Senior Sustainability Advisor (Moderator)

Olivia Windham Stewart is an independent senior advisor on sustainability issues in the global garment and textile sector.

In this capacity, she works with a wide range of supply chain stakeholders, including brands and manufacturers; industry federations and associations; multi-stakeholder initiatives; non-governmental, intergovernmental, and development organisations; policymakers; foundations; and labor unions, and has advised on issues and implemented programs in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Türkiye and Jordan, among other countries. Olivia, who has an academic background in law, international development and policy, has served as a Senior Advisor to IAF for several years and has been leading the development and implementation of ATTI.