A new leadership team has been voted in at the ICA following its annual general meeting, which took place earlier this month during the association’s Istanbul 2026 trade event.
Ms Eimear McDonagh (Director, Hang Tung Resources) is elected to be ICA President. Eimear will be supported by Mr Raymond Faus (Chairman of the Board, Omnicotton) as First Vice-President and Mr Ismail Nohutlu (Owner, Nipas Textile) as Second Vice-President. Mr Pierre Chehab (Head of Cotton Europe & Black Sea, Louis Dreyfus Company) is the Immediate Past President. Mr Chris Williams (Partner, Liverpool Cotton Brokers) continues as Treasurer.
Along with Mr Ertuğrul Tanriverdi (Director, Ensar Tekstil Sanayi ve Ticaret), who re-joins the board as an Ordinary Director, Mr Bharat Desai (Advisor-Cotton, Arvind Limited) and Mr Ryan Cucci (Director USA-Cotton, Bunge USA Agriculture) have been appointed as Regional Directors.
Speaking of her new role as ICA President, Eimear said:
“Our ICA has an extraordinary history. We should be proud of it, grateful to those who built it and ambitious about what we hand to the next generation. Because an association is not made strong simply by the number of people who belong to it. It is made strong by the connections between them.
For thousands of years, cotton has travelled across borders, cultures and generations.
A fibre grown in one country becomes a livelihood in another, a fabric in another, a garment worn somewhere else entirely. Cotton is, quite literally, a thread that connects the world.
And I can think of no better ambition for our ICA than to do the same. To create opportunities to connect. To bring different perspectives together. And to use those connections not only for our members, but to make a positive contribution to the future of cotton as a natural fibre.
To connect our industry.
To strengthen our industry.
To contribute to a stronger future for cotton.”
During her 30 years’ experience as an International Marketing Manager in the Australian cotton industry, Eimear managed cotton lint sales, trade finance and all export supply chain activities. Eimear has served as a director for the Australian Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA) and the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA). Eimear is a founding member of Women In Cotton (WiC) initiative that aims to improve diversity and the role of women in the global cotton industry. Appointed as the ICA’s representative to the International Cotton Advisory Committee’s PSAC (Private Sector Advisory Committee) Merchants Committee, she works to serve the cotton community to promote knowledge sharing and innovation. Her passion lies in connecting global buyers to a sustainable and traceable cotton supply chain and to promoting the good cotton story for the benefit of all.
Comprising 19 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.
