The new co-chairs are Bill Ballenden, a newly elected member and the head of sustainability and innovation at Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) Cotton, and Tamar Hoek, senior policy director for Sustainable Fashion at Solidaridad.
They will be expected to execute the duty of chair, acting both as internal and external ambassadors for Better Cotton and ensuring policy decisions are presented to the council and appropriately considered.
Better Cotton explained that the newly appointed Council members represent the entire cotton industry and will help shape its strategic direction.
In a joint statement, Ballenden and Hoek said: "We are delighted to be working together as a team in order to support Better Cotton and work with the Better Cotton Council, as sustainability and traceability in the cotton value chain become increasingly important. The fact that we have a different role within the chain but share the same passion for cotton and sustainability, will allow us to efficiently serve the membership, the Council and the entire cotton value chain from farm to fabric."
The organisation also welcomed representatives from Marks & Spencer, J.Crew, leading Pakistani spinner Nishat Chunian and Mozambican farmer body FONPA, to its council, who joined with a retroactive start date of 1 June 2024.
In addition to Bill Ballenden, other newly elected members of the Better Cotton Council include:
- Doug Forster, chief sourcing officer at J.Crew Group
- Elodie Gilart, senior sustainability manager at Marks & Spencer
- Nadia Bilal, managing director of Spinning at Nishat Chunian
- Vicente Sando, executive coordinator at FONPA, Mozambique’s National Forum of Cotton Farmers
Additionally, Better Cotton announced the re-election of Rajan Bhopal, International Project Manager (Supply Chain) at PAN UK, and Shahid Zia, Executive Director at the Lok Sanjh Foundation to its council.
Alan McClay, CEO at Better Cotton, believes the experience, insights and perspective of the newly appointed council will be invaluable as it continues to evolve to best serve Better Cotton, its affiliated farmers and its diverse network of members and partners.
McClay said: "I’m excited to welcome our new co-chairs and members to the Better Cotton Council. I look forward to the discussions we have to come."
Better Cotton Council also announced the departure of three members as new ones were elected. Gerson Fajardo of Walmart, Pierre Chebab of Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), and independent member Kevin Quinlan reportedly completed their tenures and stepped down from the Council.
The Council, selected through a biennial nomination and election process, consists of a select group at the core of the organisation responsible for its strategic guidance. Council members include representatives from retailers, brands, manufacturers, suppliers, producers, and civil society within the cotton industry.
According to Better Cotton, the council members shape the approach that ultimately enables it to fulfil its mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive while protecting and restoring the environment.
Recently, Better Cotton launched a new fund in partnership with impact investment firm FS Impact Finance aimed to enhance field-level impact related to women’s empowerment and climate resilience among smallholder cotton farmers.
