Events

Meet the speakers of the upcoming Word Footwear Congress

Oct 30, 2023 World Footwear Congress 2023

As the World Footwear Congress draws closer, we give you some more details about the speakers, who will be debating new business solutions, sustainability and circularity, and the future of labour

Organised by the European Footwear Confederation (CEC) and the Footwear Industrialist Association of Türkiye (TASD), the World Footwear Congress, which will be held at the Wyndham Grand Istanbul Levent Hotel, on the 8^th and 9^th of November, comes at a challenging time for the sector with the mission of “ReShaping the Future”. The event will, therefore, be a stage for the global footwear industry to gather to debate solutions and share sustainable development practices for a more resilient footwear industry.

Latest Consumer Trends

Attendees will benefit from the expertise of Miguel Pomares, Head of the Footwear Division at Spanish company Ecoalf since 2017, who will bring his 20 years of experience in footwear and innovation through different approaches to manufacturing, and Yuxiang Yang, an innovator from the Li-Ning brand, known for using his engineering background, market knowledge and extensive industry experience to drive innovation in the sports footwear industry.

In addition, this panel will count on the expertise of Francesco Carpineti, co-founder of Future Fashion, an omnichannel platform that helps fashion brands virtualise and customise their collections in 3D, Tahsin Akar, General Manager in LC Waikiki Shoes Category, with an extensive background on marketing, communication, and brand management, and Kubilay Gençkan, business developer at Alibaba.

New Business Strategies

New business strategies will be discussed by Jon Ram, CEO of Clarks since 2022, who has significant global experience and knowledge of the footwear and apparel market, Manfred Kroneder, a 30-year veteran in the retail industry, who currently holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at the German's Deichmann, and Burak Celet, the General Manager of the premium leather goods brand DESA, one of the largest exports in this sector.

Additionally, Julia Navarro, Head of the Kaizen Department at the Spanish company Pikolinos, will bring her insights on this philosophy, which focuses on the people, but always has a global view of the company.

Sustainability

Federico Brugnoli will bring his expertise as the Founder and CEO of SPIN360, a company that specialises in developing new sustainable business models and innovative solutions from a technological and organisational point of view. He will be joined by Yuly Fuentes-Medel, Senior Advisor at MIT, Marco Guazzoni, Sustainability Director at Vibram, a leader in the footwear components industry, Luca Boltri, Vice-Director of UNIC Italian Tanneries, the representative body of the Italian tanning industry, and Nicoline Van Enter, who cofounded the Footwearology LAB in Barcelona.

From the associations' viewpoint, the Congress will have the contributions of Stephen E. Lamar, President and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the national trade association representing more than 1 000 brands in the US apparel and footwear industry, Lu Hua, the Vice Secretary General of China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), where he has been working since 2008, and Horacio Moschetto, General Secretary of the Footwear Industry Chamber of Argentina.

Future Workforce

Genaro Pigliacampo, CEO of the Calzaturificio Gensi Group, a company that prioritizes investments in highly qualified personnel to meet new production needs, and Clémentine Colin Richard, Corporate Director at the French Paraboot, will come together to debate the future of labour in the industry.

For more information about the programme, please refer to the Congress’s website.

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