4th Sustainable & Circular Textiles, Apparel & Footwear

Tiffany Hua is an analyst at Lux Research, based in the company’s Boston headquarters. She leads Lux’s coverage of innovations in alternative materials, textile recycling, and materials of concern within the chemicals and CPG industries.
 

Over the past five years, Tiffany has advised clients on strategies to address upcoming material innovations. Her insight-producing research focuses on materials that address global issues including decarbonization, materials of concern, and waste recovery. Recently, she has investigated technologies like alternatives to PFAS, CO2-based polymers, and solvent-based textile recycling. Tiffany has a special focus on the intersection of materials innovation and global policy, which has led to the creation of Lux’s Policy Compass Framework, a highly regarded tool for businesses mapping their journey through a changing international regulatory landscape.
 

Outside of Lux, Tiffany’s insights have been sought out by leading publications including Forbes, Bloomberg, GreenBiz, Sourcing Journal, and Chemical & Engineering News. Tiffany is also a certified Global Reporting Initiative sustainability professional and highlights the importance of science-based impact reporting and identifying long-term strategies.
 

Prior to joining Lux, Tiffany was an associate at the Langer Lab at MIT, where she supported the material and mechanical design of drug delivery systems. She has authored and co-authored 10-plus academic publications on topics including drug delivery systems and implantable robotics. Tiffany holds a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst, where she conducted research on medical device design and nanostructured surfaces.

Romain Narcy is a distinguished individual, renowned for his exceptional background in international business management. With extensive experience and knowledge of denim production at all stages gained during his tenure as marketing manager at Ereks – Blue Matters, Romain quickly rose through the ranks to become general manager and board member before being appointed head of innovation and strategy three years ago.
 

In 2020, Romain played an instrumental role in redefining Ereks’ strategy towards becoming a circular company by 2030 – proof that he not only talks about circularity and textile recycling but also actively translates these ideas into action. His international exposure within the textile industry coupled with deep understanding of supply chain dynamics make him uniquely positioned to be one of tomorrow’s visionaries for textiles.
 
Apart from steering Ereks on its path toward sustainability excellence, Romain serves on various committees such as Denim Deal (The Netherlands + International) or Transformers Foundation Educational committee (USA). He actively participates in other working groups focusing on Circularity at ISO Istanbul Chamber Of Industry (ISO), Turkish Manufacturers Apparel Association (TGSD), Turkish Textile Exporters Association (ITHIB).

I am a professional with over 25 years of textile industrial management experience on the factory floor. I have had the privilege to manage vertical companies, that had all the means to developed textile products from fibre to end products.
 
I have worked with knits, woven, non-woven, in fashion, in home textiles and in technical textiles. I have always had the curiosity to try to break the status quo of the textile industry, experimenting new techniques, new ways to produce textile articles, with a focus on customer satisfaction, in market needs, but also in financial, environmental and social sustainability.
 
I have had the pleasure and the privilege to work on a daily base in 11 different companies, and with more than the double as consultant. In all of them I have learned allot of different ways about how to produce textile articles.”

Viktoria is a trailblazing fashion producer and entrepreneur with a wealth of international experience in business development, marketing and communications, and event production. The founder of GeekChicTLV, an agency specializing in innovative fashion and tech productions in Israel and worldwide, Viktoria has worked alongside high-profile brands including LVMH, The Strauss Group, and Gindi Investments. She’s passionate about reinventing the way we interact with textiles so that we can live in harmony with the world around us.

Kirsi Roine is a networker extraordinaire. With a background in chemistry and the viscose industry – as well as in photography and IT – Kirsi is Infinited’s main point of contact with global fashion brands and responsible for sales. She joined the fashion technology startup in 2017 and is on a mission to make circularity in textiles an everyday reality.

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Dr. Fabio Silvestri received his Master degree and PhD in Materials Science from University of Milano- Bicocca. Several academic and industrial research experiences, then product development manager and innovation management. Executive MBA from POLIMI-Graduate School of Management. He is currently Head of Marketing and Business Development at gr3n SA.

Jade is the Founder and CEO of Renasens AB, a company currently developing technology to transform blended textile waste into new resources through recycling. They are using a proprietary, waterless technology that consumes less energy than other solutions, reducing both climate footprint and cost. No depolymerization or degradation of fiber quality. Built on years of research, now ready for large-scale commercialization.

Eduardo Miguel Santos is currently the Head of Corporate Strategy at Selenis Specialty Polyester Solutions, where Eduardo Miguel oversees corporate strategy, business growth, new business development, pricing optimization, and R&D. Prior to this role, Eduardo Miguel has held positions such as Corporate Development Manager and Senior Associate at various companies, contributing to strategic partnerships, process optimization, and project management. In addition, Eduardo is a member of Nova's Global Top Talent Network and has experience in areas such as market research, business model review, and financial control. Eduardo Miguel holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's degree in Finance from Católica Porto Business School.

Dr. Aspi N. Patel has more than 30 years of experience growing and leading teams in various manufacturing industries. He has held leadership positions with GE, DuPont and Invista in the United States, and is currently the CTO of Aditya Birla Group in Mumbai. His expertise includes managing P&L accountabilities, stewardship of global technology initiatives and oversight of manufacturing and technical marketing functions across several business lines including fibers, chemicals, textiles, aerospace and defense.
 

Aspi’s ability to lead and mentor global cross-functional teams with responsibility for technology development and commercialization of new products, processes, engineering, manufacturing and marketing has earned him an established track record of excellence working with multiple stake holders. He is proficient in developing technology vision and strategy, recognizing emerging industry trends, identifying competitive threats and acquisition opportunities.
 

Aspi has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades during his career. He was a recipient of the Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Leader in 2015 and most recently, in 2019, he was conferred the prestigious Aditya Birla Group’s Leader of Leaders Award for his tremendous contributions in shaping the Groups’ technology strategies and for the depth and lasting impact of his leadership on business innovation.

Cécile Martin is Innovation & Recycling Manager at Refashion, the French Producer Responsibility Organization for textiles, since 2020. She works with the French and wider European ecosystem to accelerate the development of industrial as well as new solutions for recycling non-reusable post-consumer textiles and footwear.
Prior to Refashion, Cécile worked at WRAP UK, Le Relais France and Levi Strauss & Co.
Cécile holds an MSc in Environmental Protection and Management from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and a Master’s Degree in Textile Engineering from ENSAIT, France.

Sara Elkholy is the Programme Director for the Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN) Programme. CFIN is an industry-led programme managed by the British Fashion Council (BFC) and UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to accelerate the UK towards a circular fashion ecosystem.

Sara has 15 years’ experience in programme, project, change, transformation and portfolio management. Working across Retail, FMCG, Hospitality and the Public Sector, she has managed a diverse portfolio of cross-functional projects and programmes with experience of the full project lifecycle. Sara started her career as a management consultant at KPMG, before moving into industry, working for Ocado, Marriott and Hellofresh, where she has set-up transformation offices and project teams from scratch, and delivered significant programmes of work.

 Dr. Acerina Trejo Machín is the Chief Technology Officer at Resortecs, a design-for-disassembly startup based in Belgium. Since 2021 she leads a team of 6 experts who are engineering polymers to drive circularity in the textile industry. She holds a Ph.D. in Material Science from the University of Luxembourg and specializes in Chemical Engineering, Polymers and Biopolymers. Prior to Resortecs, Dr. Trejo Machín collaborated with one of the world’s biggest players in the Tire & Rubber industry for 4 years.