Over 500 delegates from the global cotton community convened in Liverpool from October 16-17 for the International Cotton Association's (ICA) traditional trade event and gala dinner. Hosted at the Crowne Plaza and St George’s Hall, the two-day event featured prominent industry speakers, including Arvind Singhal of Technopak Advisors and Colin Iles of Viterra.
Key sessions included a panel moderated by Bill Ballenden of Louis Dreyfus Company, discussing the current legislative landscape, and another focusing on the impact of artificial intelligence on the cotton sector, featuring insights from Oliver Jobling (Macrovesta), Joseph Maliszewski, and Jagan Gopinath (Arvind Ltd). The event also included Cotton Connected sessions, addressing arbitration and key cotton regions, led by various industry representatives, including members of the ICA’s Women in Cotton Committee.
During the closing gala, Kim Hanna of TransGlobal Inspections passed the ICA presidency to Mohomed Bashir of Gul Ahmed Textile Mills. In her farewell remarks, Hanna emphasized the necessity of unity within the cotton industry, highlighting recent collaborations, including a historic MoU among the USA, Australia, and Brazil to enhance global cotton interests.
She noted the importance of the ‘Make the Label Count’ initiative, which advocates for fair sustainability claims for cotton against growing synthetic fiber competition. Hanna called for broader engagement at all levels of the value chain and reiterated the ICA's commitment to a balanced trading environment.
