El Textile and Fashion Observatory has unanimously approved the change in its presidency with the appointment of Ignacio Sierra as the new president of the organization. Sierra, who until now served as vice president of the Observatory, is the corporate general manager of tendam and president of the European Branded Clothing Alliance (EBCA).
In the same agreement, the Observatory has appointed as vice president José María Mestres, president of Texfor and the Spanish Intertextile Council (CIE), reinforcing the institutional leadership of the organization at a key moment for the Spanish textile and fashion sector, marked by hyper-aggressive global competition, the intensification of European and national regulatory frameworks in textile circularity and the urgency of addressing the circularity, digitalization and competitiveness of this industry with new advances.
For his part, Juan Parés leaves the presidency of the Observatory, after a period focused on its consolidation, institutional positioning and strengthening of its capacity for dialogue, and joins the Advisory Council of the Observatory, guaranteeing not only the continuity of his invaluable involvement in its strategy, but also the dialogue with the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) of which Parés has been president since last October.
During her farewell address, Parés emphasized that the Observatory must continue to play a key role in the transformation of the textile value chain by “building trust between organizations and individuals,” reiterating that “ethics, trust, and responsibility are not optional, but rather the foundation upon which this transformation must be built.” At the same time, she advocated for a more holistic approach to innovation—as well as to rapid technological change—based on its application to processes, governance, and corporate culture.
The change in leadership comes in a context of profound transformation of the sector, in which the Observatory reinforces its role as a forum for debate, coordination and the generation of trust between companies, institutions and value chains.
With the start of this new phase, Ignacio Sierra prioritized helping the sector navigate an increasingly complex regulatory environment, transforming regulation into an effective lever for competitiveness and, consequently, an engine of industrial development. In this regard, he noted that the Observatory must act “not only as a strategic compass, but also as a regulatory and competitiveness compass,” committed to ensuring that the regulatory framework is “clear, applicable, and beneficial for the entire sector.”
The appointment of José María Mestres, as vice president of the Observatory, strengthens the entity's connection with the industrial representation of the sector, Consolidating coordinated work with sectoral organizations in retail, apparel, and the textile industry. And, likewise, It strengthens the public-private partnership in this industry. to boost the role of Spanish companies in international value chains, in a “global tectonic context”, a consequence of disruptive changes in current technologies, societies and geopolitics.