The ICA’s new leadership team has been voted in following our annual general meeting, which took place on 21 October 2016 during our Liverpool 2016 trade event.
Mr Jürg Reinhart (Chairman, Paul Reinhart AG, Switzerland) takes on the role of ICA President. Jürg will be supported by Mr Salman Ispahani (Managing Director, Pahartali Textiles) as First Vice President and Mr Bill Ballenden (General Manager, Louis Dreyfus Company Suisse) as Second Vice President.
New to the board are Mr Manish Chawla (Global Material Manager, H&M); Mr Minghong Chen (General Manager, Chinatex Cotton Import and Export Corporation); Mr Jerry Marshall (President, Yiyang Company); Mr Alan McClay (CEO, Better Cotton Initiative); Mr Tim North (Export Manager, Ecom USA); Mr Leon Picon (Cotton Purchasing Director, Orta Anadolu); Mr Mohit Shah (Director, Gill & Co).
On accepting the role of President, Jürg delivered a powerful speech that touched on the ICA’s remarkable history and a message of engagement and collaboration to strengthen contract sanctity and to support sustainable and safe trading practices:
“Standing here at this podium is a very special moment for me. I have attended more than 20 ICA trade events, but I never imagined in my remotest thoughts that I would stand here one night to address you as your President. I am delighted and deeply honored, even more so as we are celebrating the 175th Anniversary of our Association.
“The increasing complexity of globalised trade, the ongoing increase of worldwide regulations and laws have left its mark in our rules and bylaws, which have been constantly amended and reformed over the years. Our top target has always been and remains to have a rule book which is clear, precise, consistent in itself, but also fair and impartial.
“But we must also recognise that there is a need for stability. Rules cannot be changed constantly. Overly detailed regulation can easily become counterproductive. Our way forward needs to be one of consolidation and digestion. Let us shift a gear lower and try to reach out to our members and users in a concentrated and collaborative effort. Even the best set of rules needs to be understood and internalised, in order to be effective.
“While the long-term common interests of all members is best served when everybody adheres to the rules, occasionally the short-term interests of a single member make it seemingly attractive to cut some corners. I would like to state very strongly that it is imperative for the entire industry, to prevent such corner-cutting. Without sanctity of contracts, our business is dead. We have to be strict against violators in the common interest of us all; and I ask you ALL for your unconditional support.”
Jürg, together with his cousin Thomas Reinhart, own Paul Reinhart AG, the family cotton trading company founded in 1788 and headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland. Jürg graduated from the University of Zurich in 1984 with a Master of Law. He began his trading career working for Marc Rich AG and Phibro Energy in Switzerland and abroad before joining the family company in 1989, where he now holds the position of Managing Director. Jürg was appointed to the ICA Board of Directors in 2010. He lives in Winterthur with his wife Johanna and they have three children, Lorenz, Adrian and Helen.
Now comprising 24 members, the new board line-up continues to represent the ICA’s global membership across all sectors of the supply chain and builds on its commitment to engage the entire global cotton community.
