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DAY 2 TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021, 10:00 AM – 12:15 PM EDT
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021, 9:00 pm - 11:15 pm ICT/GMT+7

PANEL 4

Mobilizing the Power of Women as Consumers

AGENDA

10:00 am EDT / 9:00 pm ICT/GMT+7

Welcome and Introductions

Michele Dastin-van Rijn

Senior Advisor

Opening Speaker

Marcia Bernicat

Senior Official for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment and Acting Assistant Secretary Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs

Anna Gedda

Head of Steering and Strategic Planning, H&M

10:10 am EDT / 9:10 pm ICT/GMT+7

PANEL Discussion
Beyond CSR, Creating Enabling Environments for Women-led Water-Sustainable Fashion Ventures

VIEW PANEL SUMMARY

Q&A

MODERATOR

PANELISTS

Ms. Alexandra Scott

President, Global Environment and Technology Foundation

Ms. Saima Chowdhury

CEO, Grey State Apparel

Ms. Thao Vu

Designer, artist and eco-entrepreneur

Ms. Nawshin Khair

CEO, Aranya

Ms. Dana P. Goland, M.S

CEO/Founder Symbia Global Group

Ms. Ania Taubenfligel,

Co-founder, Triarchy

11:15 am EDT / 10:15 pm ICT/GMT+7

PANEL DISCUSSION
Mobilizing the Power of Women as Consumers

VIEW PANEL SUMMARY

MODERATOR

PANELISTS

Ms. Mandy Mooney

Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, SAC

Ms. Ashley Gill

Senior Advisory Team, Textile Exchange

Ms. Caroline Holme

Senior Director, Globescan

Ms. Joyce Tsoi

Senior Manager of Supply Chain Sustainability, VF Corporation

Ms. Joleen Ong

Sustainable Manufacturing Manager, Columbia Sportswear Company

Q&A

Final Remarks

Ms. Mandy Mooney

Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, SAC

Michele Dastin-van Rijn

Senior Advisor,
US Water Partnership

Register Here

PANEL 4

Mobilizing the Power of Women as Consumers

Women are the primary customers in the fashion economy and represent a large potential water sustainability driver if they apply their purchasing power to boost efforts throughout the industry.  As a key target segment for apparel brands, women have the power of their purses to demand changes. Indeed, women are still more often than not the primary caregivers for both children and the elderly in nearly every society in the world, and their buying power covers multiple constituencies (often from spouses and partners to children, parents, in-laws, friends and businesses). In short, this “gateway” role gives women a large “multiplier effect” on sales. Globescan’s research indicates that women are significantly more likely than men to use their buying power to make a difference. Various research studies tell us that women in the Gen Z and Millennial categories are already more aware of their responsibility to the planet and that a significant majority of consumers would switch to brands that support an environmental cause or follow sustainable business practices if they were made aware of that choice. Consumer awareness and purchasing power can be a real game changer for sustainability. Journalists/fashion journals, podcasts, certification, tracking, traceability, and transparency efforts can play a crucial role in preventing crafty greenwashers, or bluewashers for our purposes, from not backing words with actions and giving women the power to usher in a new generation of water sustainable fashion. This panel will help us understand public awareness and consumer trends and explore how women’s purchasing decisions can provide the momentum for the industry to reach the water sustainability mindset tipping point.

Marcia Bernicat

Senior Official for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment and Acting Assistant Secretary Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs

Marcia Bernicat, a career member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is serving as Senior Official for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment and Acting Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. Prior to this, she served as a Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment from 2020-2021 and as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs from 2019-2020.

Ambassador Bernicat served as Ambassador to Bangladesh from 2015-2018 and to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau from 2008-2011. Previously she was Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Human Resources, a position she held from 2012-2015. Domestically she served in the Department of State as Office Director for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs from 2006 to 2008; and from 2004 to 2006 as the Senior-Level Director and Career Development Officer in the Bureau of Human Resources. Ms. Bernicat was Deputy Chief of Mission twice — at the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados from 2001 to 2004, and at the U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi from 1998 to 2001. She was Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca, Morocco from 1995 to 1998, Deputy Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India from 1992 to 1995, and Desk Officer for Nepal and India in the Bureau of Near East and South Asian Affairs from 1988 to 1990.

Earlier in her career, Ambassador Bernicat was Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead, Watch Officer in the Department’s Operations Center, Consular Officer in Marseille, France, and Political/Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bamako, Mali. She is the recipient of the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award and numerous other Department awards.

A native of New Jersey, Marcia Bernicat received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Lafayette College and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. In 2018 she was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service by Lafayette College. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ms. Bernicat gained private sector managerial experience working for the Procter and Gamble Manufacturing Company on Staten Island, New York. Her languages are French, Hindi and Russian.

Anna Gedda

Head of Steering and Strategic Planning, H&M

Anna Gedda is a member of H&M Group’s executive management team and currently holds a position as Head of Steering and Strategic Planning. This role is new to the organization, aiming to bring XX. Before assuming this position, Anna Gedda was between 2015-2020 Head of Sustainability at H&M group, leading a global team of more than 250 sustainability professionals. During her time in this position, Anna lead the work to set a new long-term sustainability strategy for the H&M group with the vision to lead the change towards a circular and renewable fashion industry, while being a fair and equal company.  This includes, for example, goals to only use recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030 and to become climate positive throughout the value chain by 2040. The strategy also covered the work to ensure that everyone in the company’s global supply chain has access to a fair job, including both support of a well-functioning workplace relationship at garment factories and safety and well-being of garment workers, as well as fair living wages.

Before taking over as Head of Sustainability at H&M group, Anna Gedda held different roles at the company’s Sustainability Department from 2008 onwards, including Social Sustainability Program Developer and Social Sustainability Manager. Anna, with a background at the Ministry of Finance, holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics.”

PANEL 3

Beyond CSR, Creating Enabling Environments for Women-led Water Sustainable Fashion Ventures

The global fashion industry is valued at approximately $2.4 trillion. While it is difficult to accurately calculate the total workforce due to a large informal sector, in 2014 the textile, clothing, and footwear sector worldwide was estimated to employ between 60-75 million people, of which up to four-fifths were women. These women workers range from designers to garment workers employed in factories, with many in the “informal” clothing manufacturing process but have been largely absent in leadership positions.  Before 2019, women were not represented in the Fortune 500 list of the 15 largest mass-market apparel companies. Only in 2020 have we started seeing women become CEOs. Even in the “higher end” fashion industry, the majority of fashion houses are disproportionately helmed by male designers. The lack of female leadership is even more striking, when one considers that women make up the majority of those entering the workforce, dominate entry-level creative positions amongst brands and represent the majority of fashion school student bodies. Research also suggests that women tend to be both more knowledgeable on environmental matters, such as climate change, and keen to act, making them critical to driving forward global sustainability efforts. Accordingly, we need to explore pathways to positioning women in leadership roles throughout the fashion value chain encouraging water-sustainable fashion entrepreneurship, and the development of women-led water sustainable fashion brands through access to tools, policy incentives, professional networks, etc., and financial support efforts underway. This panel will bring together women who are leading sustainable fashion ventures and those dedicated to facilitating their path.

Alexandra Scott

President, Global Environment and Technology Foundation

Alexandra Scott is the President of the Global Environment and Technology Foundation (GETF) driving focus on new partnership development, strategy and execution – with emphasis on GETF’s growing Public Health practice.

With a decade of experience building and managing global health programs and cross-sector partnerships for social impact in emerging markets, Alex also serves as Director of Delivery for Project Last Mile (PLM), a leading example of how private sector engagement can improve availability and uptake of medicines across Africa. Since joining the PLM team, she has helped grow the partnership from zero to 10 countries, designing and building programs that improve medicine availability and access for millions of people in Africa.

Alex is committed to developing and applying business-based solutions to international health and development challenges. She has a unique ability to inspire and facilitate collaborative action on systems strengthening to achieve the SDGs. She is passionate about building and launching novel programs and partnerships that help people live their best lives.

Alex holds a B.S. in International Health from the Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies and a Masters in Global Human Development from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She is passionate about travel and has lived and worked in countries across Africa and Southeast Asia, including Laos, Tanzania and South Africa.

Saima Chowdhury

Founder and CEO of Noi Solutions LLC and Grey State

Saima Chowdhury is the founder and CEO of Noi Solutions LLC, a global apparel sourcing company and Grey State, a contemporary women’s fashion brand. Founded in 2009, Noi partners with apparel brands and retailers to provide product life cycle solutions. With a three year growth rate of 1,519%, Noi Solutions ranked 300 in the 2014 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing private companies in the US. Saima founded Grey State in 2015, a sustainable and ethical brand that provides an edited selection of relaxed luxury clothing. The brand aims to give comfort, style, and a sense of calm confidence to a woman’s busy schedule.

Saima is also a Director of the Malek Spinning Mills, Knit Asia Limited and affiliated companies, which is a vertically integrated textile and apparel manufacturer in Bangladesh, supplying to leading retailers in the EU and the US.

Prior to founding Noi Solutions, Saima worked with the Victoria’s Secret Strategy group focusing on customer and market insights. She started her tenure at Limited Brands as the Business and Procurement Manager for Victoria’s Secret Direct Production, where she managed production budgets of $400 million. Saima also worked with the Supply Chain Strategy group at Nike, where she evaluated the benefits and challenges of upstream supply chain partnership to recommend strategies for apparel source base alignment.

Before business school, Saima served as the Corporate Manager of Malek Spinning Mills in Bangladesh, where she developed, implemented, and supervised procurement and inventory tracking, and the IPO of Malek Spinning Mills. Saima started her career at Ernst & Young LLP, where she was a Senior Consultant with the Economic and Quantitative Analysis Group.

Saima holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School and a BA in Economics and Political Science from Swarthmore College.

Born and raised in Bangladesh, Saima currently resides in New York with her husband and young son.

Nawshin Khair

Managing Director and Creative Director for Aranya

Nawshin Khair is a charismatic creative designer, a social entrepreneur, cultural connector, and activist and mother of three.

Nawshin is the Managing Director and the Creative Director for a local fairtrade brand Aranya, which focuses on revival and conservation of natural dye, local handloom and handicrafts of Bangladesh. She is also the founder of a  non-profit Bengal Craft Society which implements sustainable livelihood programs to economically empower vulnerable women.

Nawshin is the country coordinator and member of the global advisory board for Fashion Revolution .

 

Dana P. Goland

CEO & Founder of Symbia Global Group

Dana synthesizes over twenty years of aggregating assets such as capital market securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, derivatives), complex trust vehicles and transformative donations by individuals, grant-making foundations, and corporations to 501c3 organizations – to facilitate efficacious funding partnerships that solve environmental and social problems. Dana’s career spans from supporting clients as a Financial Consultant at Smith Barney with their investment portfolios, through fundraising for 501c3 organizations including CARE USA, the American Red Cross and The Trust for Public Land. She has operated within the full scope of development for 501c3 organizations (from planned giving and bequests, corporate and foundation giving, individual annual, major and principle giving and workplace and capital campaign), specializing in managing relationships that support at the six-, seven- and eight-figure level. Along the way, Dana found her love of and forte in prospecting for new strategic partnerships, by thinking outside of the box – by maximizing matrix versus linear thinking – that leads to growth and sustained impact. 

Dana founded the Symbia Global Group in 2019, in order to advance the discourse around strategic investment partnerships that create virtuous revenue cycles and ecosystems that solve environmental and social problems. She is based in southern California and manages relationships and fosters regenerative partnerships, globally.

Ania Taubenfligel

Head of branding communications and co-founder of Triarchy denim

Ania Taubenfligel is the head of branding communications and co-founder of Triarchy denim. Her career in fashion started with modelling but she realized she wanted a more hands on roll in the fashion industry. Her love of nature and animals is where her fight for sustainability stems from. She along side her two brothers founded Triarchy and together they built it into the sustainable and ethically manufactured brand we know today.

Mandy Mooney

Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, SAC

Mandy Mooney is the Senior Director of Marketing & Communications for the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), bringing 15 years of experience in building and nurturing brands for global companies of all sizes in retail, tech, media, and healthcare. Mandy oversees the SAC’s internal and external marketing and communications initiatives. Key responsibilities include developing the SAC’s annual communications plan and building the organization’s reputation and brand awareness through media relations and membership engagement.

Prior to joining the SAC, Mandy spent nearly a decade working for Gap Inc. in various capacities, from leading large-scale impact campaigns for Gap Foundation and the Global Sustainability team to spearheading a new crisis communications process and protocol for each of the brands. Most recently, she played a key role in writing the brand guidelines, company mission, and values statements for newly-branded Khoros.

Recognized for co-founding GapWIL (Women in Leadership) in 2013, Gap Inc.’s most popular employee resource group that supports women to reach their full career potential, Mandy has a passion for seeing women support one another. Mandy also volunteers as a member of the Board of Directors for GirlVentures, where she serves as Chair of the Marketing and Fundraising Committee. She offers her time and talents to this organization whose mission is to inspire girls to lead through outdoor adventure, inner discovery, and collective action.

Mandy received her degree in business and apparel merchandising from Indiana University. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two daughters. Her favorite pastimes are writing music, doing yoga, and traveling. Last November, she checked off a bucket list item when her family spent a month exploring New Zealand.

Having led philanthropic, sustainability, and diversity & inclusion initiatives, impact marketing is a sweet spot for Mandy and a personal passion. She pushes brands to think bigger about their purpose-driven initiatives and to gain clarity around how they can accomplish their most audacious goals. 

Ashley Gill

Senior Advisory Team, Textile Exchange

Ashley Gill grew up on a cotton farm in Texas and spent time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural West Africa before joining Textile Exchange in 2010. After spending time in various roles of the organization, Ashley leads standard setting and business development for Textile Exchange standards. She has supported dozens of companies in their use of standards, sourcing strategies, and consumer messaging. As Textile Exchange transitions to our Climate+ strategy, Ashley has also been engaged in aligning the organization’s strategy across all platforms of work and our external partnerships as a member of the Senior Advisory Team.

Caroline Holme

Senior Director, GlobeScan

Caroline is a Senior Director with research and strategy consultancy GlobeScan. She heads GlobeScan’s team in Europe, working with some of the world’s most influential brands. She has more than two decades of experience in stakeholder and consumer consultations, covering topics relating to reputation, sustainability and purpose. She regularly briefs organisations on business and society trends and implications. Caroline recently led the Climate Action Starts At Home research study with IKEA, to identify how to encourage people across the world to take climate action. And she leads GlobeScan’s work with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition on sector transparency and how to empower consumers to make sustainable choices.

Joyce Tsoi

Senior Manager, Supply Chain Sustainability, Global Sustainability and Responsibility

Joyce Tsoi leads the Global Supply Chain Sustainability Team at VF Corporation. Joyce has over 19 years of industry experience in managing sustainability issues across multiple industry sectors including apparel and footwear, electronics, hardgoods, sporting goods, supermarkets stores in Europe and US. She is actively involved in driving corporate and industry sustainability strategies and efforts with key internal and external stakeholders to achieve VF’s sustainability goals and targets. She believes in a collaborative and holistic approach to drive positive environmental change. With the aim of contributing to a green, low carbon and sustainable economy where VF operates, Joyce spearheads a number of key programs  to identify practical means of addressing different environmental sustainability topics including environmental compliance program, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Index environmental impact measurement program, Science Based Targets (SBTs), energy efficiency and renewable energy program to enable VF to measure it’s global supply chain environmental impacts and adopt new technologies to conserve resources, prevent pollution and improving the environment and climate change.

Joleen Ong 

Sustainable Manufacturing Manager,
Columbia Sportswear Company

Joleen Ong is a human rights and sustainability professional working to improve conditions throughout the value chain. As Sustainable Manufacturing Manager at Columbia Sportswear Company (CSC), she leads its supply chain sustainability program to improve facilities’ environmental performance and Scope 3 emissions. Prior to this role, Joleen was the social responsibility lead for CSC’s Licensing Corporate Responsibility program, managing its indirect supply chain for a range of outdoor product categories and licensee partner supply chains worldwide. In 2016, she co-founded CSC’s Women’s Leadership employee resource group, and still serves as a core member today. Originally from New York, Joleen previously led communications at Social Accountability International. She is a published writer on the topic of human rights and in 2021 joined the board of Days for Girls International.