The 2023 World Footwear Congress is coming soon and the speaker lineup for the same has now been announced.
As they debate new business solutions, and discuss the concepts of sustainability and circularity and the future of labour, the event serves as a global stage for the footwear industry.
Miguel Pomares, Head of the Footwear Division at Spanish company Ecoalf since 2017, will bring his 20 years of experience in footwear and innovation, while Yuxiang Yang, an innovator from the Li-Ning brand talks about driving innovation in the sports footwear industry.
New business strategies will be discussed by Jon Ram, CEO of Clarks since 2022, Manfred Kroneder, a 30-year veteran in the retail industry, 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.
Talking about sustainability will be Federico Brugnoli, Founder and CEO of SPIN360, Yuly Fuentes-Medel, Senior Advisor at MIT, Marco Guazzoni, Sustainability Director at Vibram, Luca Boltri, Vice-Director of UNIC Italian Tanneries, and Nicoline Van Enter, who cofounded the Footwearology LAB in Barcelona.
From the associations' viewpoint, the Congress will have the contributions of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), and the Footwear Industry Chamber of Argentina.
Coming together to debate the future of labour in the footwear industry, will be 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.
Organised by the European Footwear Confederation (CEC) and the Footwear Industrialist Association of Türkiye (TASD), the World Footwear Congress will be held at the Wyndham Grand Istanbul Levent Hotel, on the 8th and 9th of November, with the mission of “Reshaping the Future”.
