All Writers: List

Skander Negasi worked for Messe Frankfurt from 2001 to 2010 before opening his company Trade and Fairs Consulting GmbH (TFC) in January 2011. Since then, TFC represents various large trade fair companies in diverse African countries. 

Since 2013, TFC organises various own trade fairs in East Africa with its own Kenyan company "Trade and Fairs East Africa Ltd" (based in Nairobi / Kenya). In addition, the TFEA organizes delegation trips and B2B meetings for German companies / associations and advises German companies in African affairs.

Lucy Newton is Professor in Business History at Henley Business School. Her research interests include UK retail bank history, a history of UK corporate governance and the history manufacture and marketing of pianos, all in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Her work on corporate governance has examined share ownership and patterns of female investing in the nineteenth century. In terms of methodology, Lucy is currently particularly interested in the use of objects and artefacts in banking history, such as art, portraiture, architecture, bank notes, war memorials and uniforms.

Quynh Do Nhu is Assistant Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in the Department of Management Science at Lancaster University. Research interests in circular economy and sustainable supply chain management in fashion and textile sector.

Idar Nouti is a supply chain consultant with more than 15 years of hands-on experience in diverse industries including manufacturing, utility, oil & gas, aviation, government, and infrastructure. Idar possesses extensive expertise in optimising supply chain efficiency, sustainability, and innovation. His skill sets include strategic sourcing, procurement management, contract management, supplier relationship management, and supply chain risk management. Complementing his industry experience, Idar holds an EMBA in Supply Chain Management and several professional designations, further enhancing his qualifications to deliver exceptional results.

Marie-Agnes Parmentier is Associate Professor of Marketing at HEC Montréal.

Mohammed Patel is Membership Manager at UKFT, with over 19 years’ experience in the collection, sorting, and processing of used clothing. A skilled contract negotiator, Patel is adept at working closely with charities, local authorities, reuse and recycling merchants to agree quality standards and build fair, sustainable partnerships.

He specialises in supporting UKFT members with legislative insight, site audits, trade representation, the development, and implementation codes of practice. Patel engaes with UK Government bodies, UK Textiles Pact’s Reuse and Recycling Group and wider industry forums to ensure the used textile industry has a strong voice in policy, regulation, and the transition to a circular economy.

Dan Patterson, the chief executive officer at Silverleafe Global Ag Tech LLC, has developed an advanced agricultural technology platform that creates a digital geospatial footprint for verifying machine-harvested cotton in the textile supply chain. 

Germantown, Tennessee-based Silverleafe Global, also known as Silverleafe Cotton Tracing, claims to have developed the first digitally verifiable, machine-harvested cotton using patented technology integrated into John Deere machinery. This innovation captures live geospatial data to verify cotton origins. Tested in various regions, including the US, Uzbekistan, and Australia, limited US implementation began in 2024.

Its Digital Ag Track & Trace (DATT) solution provides an end-to-end verifiable chain of custody for every cotton batch, ensuring transparency from farm to textile mill. It prioritises ethical sourcing by working only with partners who adhere to strict standards, ensuring that all Silverleafe-certified products are free from forced and child labour.

A seasoned business executive and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience spanning multiple industries, including investment management, real estate, defense, healthcare, agriculture, and logistics, Dan’s leadership roles have involved structuring complex business transactions, developing innovative technology solutions, and overseeing operations to drive value and growth. He has founded and managed successful enterprises across diverse sectors and has a strong track record of creating partnerships, optimising operations, and leading strategic initiatives.

Alice Payne is an Associate Professor in Fashion in the School of Design, Queensland University of Technology. Her research centres on environmental and social sustainability concerns throughout textile and apparel industry supply chains. Alice has examined perspectives on sustainability along the cotton value chain, the cultural and material flows of post-consumer textile waste, and design processes of mass-market product developers, independent fashion designers, and social entrepreneurs. She is co-editor of the book Global Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion (Bloomsbury 2019).

Alida Payson is a lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies in JOMEC. Her research interests are in everyday life, second-hand economies, and material culture. More widely, she is interested in the cultural politics of migration, gender, race, and disability, and in visual, creative and participatory research methods.

Payson have been working to build a network of second-hand studies researchers and practitioners. You can find more about our projects and activities on the Secondhand Cultures blog, available here: https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/secondhandcultures/

She recently finished a three-year project, Charity shop country: conviviality and survival in austerity Britain, funded by the Leverhulme Trust early career fellowship, and exploring how charity shops matter as sites of everyday living together and getting by in an austerity economy. 

Marcio Porcher is a Senior Director of Product Development working for an American footwear company based in China. His background includes design, product management, and brand building. Marcio believes that data analytics is critical in brand building, leading to more accurate collections and properly built footwear. He helped grow several brands during his career with his market-oriented approach to product creation. In addition to his role, he writes daily on LinkedIn, sharing knowledge about footwear creation and brand building.