About us

A passionate advocate for “doing the right thing,” Lewis Perkins has recently been appointed President of the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), an organization launched by leading brands and apparel sector industry associations to select, fund, and scale programs to drive positive impact in the fashion sector. Previous to this Perkins was President of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) where he led the Institute’s Fashion Positive initiative, which engages designers, manufacturers, brands and influencers in creating Cradle to Cradle Certified TM materials and products with the circular economy in mind. Prior to joining the C2CPII, Perkins consulted with corporations and organizations on the social and environmental program development. He also served as Director of Sustainable Strategies for The Mohawk Group, a leading carpet manufacturer and the commercial division of Mohawk Industries.

Perkins’ passion for sustainability and non-profit work has included strategic roles with organizations such as The Clean Air Campaign, 360i and USWeb/CKS. He is an Ashoka and C&A Foundation Strategy Thought Partner for social entrepreneurs, a 2016 and 2017 member of the H&M Global Change Award Expert Panel, and a Design Mentor for both the Council of Fashion Designers of America Lexus Design Initiative–Eco Design Challenge Accelerator, as well as the IDEO & Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy “Circular Design Competition.” Perkins has also been a participant of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Consumption.

Perkins holds a Master of Business Administration in marketing and strategy with a focus on
social responsibility from Emory University and a Bachelor of Arts from Washington & Lee University. In 2018, he was recognized by his undergraduate alma mater, with the Distinguished Alumni award.

As Chief Impact Officer of Apparel Impact Institute, Kurt manages the growth and longevity of global programs including Clean by Design – a proven platform for improving the resource efficiency of textile mills in collaboration with multinational brands. Prior to joining Aii, he spent three years at the environmental non-profit, Natural Resources Defense Council, where he focused on developing platforms and tools to measure and improve environmental performance of leading brands and retailers. Kurt also spent 10 years in retail sourcing and has served as chair and active member of several retail industry councils and steering teams.

Kurt earned a BA in International Business from St. John’s University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Business.

As Chief Financial Officer, Ryan manages budgeting, financial planning, accounting, grant finance administration, and operations for the Apparel Impact Institute.  Ryan has more than 10 years of experience in finance, including roles as an investment banking analyst, startup CFO, and external financial consultant.

Ryan received a B.B.A. in finance, accounting, and alternative investments from Emory University – Goizueta Business School.

An serves as the chief representative of Aii in China and the organization’s Vice President of Technology. He has 15 years of experience in implementing sustainable technologies across 400 green supply chain factories in the fashion industry and other industries including food, building, chemical and electronic, where he received a lot of high respects for his work. An had worked as the technical director of Clean by Design, an initiative from the NRDC, for six years, and as CTO in a China state-owned energy conservation company. An received his Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering both from Tsinghua University in China and RWTH-Aachen University in Germany.

Wulf comes to Aii with more than 15 years of experience in the sporting goods, fast fashion and consultancy industries. Her career has been dedicated to sustainability with particular emphasis on the areas of human rights issues in value chains and environmental impact reduction in the fashion industry, along with a strong focus on sustainable chemical management and zero discharge of hazardous chemicals.

Previously senior project officer at Sustainable Textile Solutions by BluWin Ltd., Wulf was responsible for driving growth by identifying and entering new business segments to position BluWin as the leading integrated service provider for environmental footprint reduction from textile, apparel, leather and footwear production. Prior to that, she was director DACH at Made-By and senior manager at Zalando SE. She began her career with nearly a decade at Adidas Group. 

Aii Program Manager Bruno is a ZDHC Accredited Trainer, who spent two years working as an auditor and consultant at Sustainable Textile Solutions by BluWin Ltd., where he performed chemical and environmental assessments, product health and safety audits, data analysis and quality review, as well as supplier/factory trainings. Prior to that, he worked for several years in textile mills, where he was responsible for quality control, sampling development, and production planning and control. Bruno holds a master’s degree in biological engineering and a postgraduate degree in engineering projects management, both from the University of Minho in Portugal.

As Chief of Staff, Kay is responsible for the execution of internal projects and for supporting strategic stakeholder relationships. Prior to joining Aii, Kay led operations at early-stage startups and scaleups in the education technology space. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Connecticut School of Business and taught second grade with Teach for America before transitioning into the tech sector, helping build and scale software companies from their first few employees to their first few hundred.

Throughout her career, Kay has been focused on operational excellence and process improvement, customer and client success, and people operations and talent development. She has worked for fully-distributed organizations since 2012 and is passionate about building high-performing teams and supportive, inclusive company culture in a remote environment.

Bryant LaPres serves as Senior Director of Industry Engagement for Aii, where he is responsible for leading the team that establishes, maintains and builds Aii’s programmatic partnerships with global brands, manufacturers and service providers. In this role, he develops and manages projects, strategies and tools for industry partners, working towards environmental impact goals, while maintaining visibility across Aii’s programs to grow results for environmental impact and revenue for Aii.

Prior to joining Aii, Bryant has worked in a number of roles during his 12-year career. He previously owned and managed a tool and die business supporting the automotive, medical and furniture industries. Bryant also spent seven years leading sustainability projects, which included materiality, strategy and goal setting, external reporting, stakeholder engagement, and innovative business models around the circular economy for Target Corporation. Bryant began his career working on risk management and due diligence for banks and developers with a focus on energy and capital reserve planning.

Bryant earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Business from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Andres has been managing prestigious business coalitions for the past 7 years through the lens of sustainable development in the UK, EU and American markets, unlocking science-based sector roadmaps for the consumer goods, apparel, retail, agriculture, transport and energy industries. His focus is on developing multi-stakeholder common languages for people and planet – driven by business. His close work with corporate leaders and supply-chain operations – including Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Dior, Burberry – has ensured his understanding of the transformation required at a systems and practical level. 

Michelle’s professional career started in theatre where she worked behind the scenes as a Production Stage Manager for Off-Broadway productions. Supporting people so that they can do their best work has always been at the center of her career, and she truly believes that people are any company’s biggest asset.

Michelle has been working in HR-related roles for the past 8 years, most recently as an HR Director for an educational software company with a global workforce of nearly 200. A certified professional with the Society for Human Resource Management, Michelle is thrilled to be involved in helping Aii build and support a team to carry out its amazing mission.

Daniel Xavier is a software product manager and entrepreneur who aspires to bridge the collective intelligence of talented individuals with the unlimited creative faculties of unbound thinking to ignite innovation. As product manager at Aii, Daniel drives the design, strategy and development of our industry transformative Climate Solutions Portfolio.

Daniel has more than 10 years of experience as a product manager and business owner across industries including ecommerce, healthcare and gaming. He holds a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance from Bryant University with a focus on entrepreneurship.

Following a career in the media, Patrícia Sousa earned a degree in Integrated Management of Quality, Environment and Work Safety. Since that time, she has worked as an international administrator, managing export and import processes in the food industry. She also gained experience in international markets, including prospecting, product certification and trademark registration.

As a program coordinator at Aii, Patrícia will be responsible for administrating and organizing tasks around all our programs. She will support the Program Management Team, tracking complex data and documentation relating to Aii programs.

As Director of Sustainability Reporting, Leonie drives impact reporting and carbon accounting for the Apparel Impact Institute.

Leonie is a sustainability and gender equality specialist with nine years of experience in apparel, footwear, and food supply chains. Her international work experience spans standards, auditing and monitoring; capacity-building; sustainability reporting; stakeholder engagement and sustainable textile product development at companies like Zalando SE. Most recently, she was Senior Sustainability Manager at Recover.

Leonie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile and Clothing Management from University Niederrhein in Germany and a master’s degree in Gender and Equality Policies from University of Valencia in Spain.

As Regional Lead, Italy, at Aii, Daniele is responsible for developing and accelerating the Roadmap to Net Zero by engaging local stakeholders. He comes to Aii with a passion for sustainability and a particular focus on the Italian luxury fashion sector. He is supported by a technical background, and his purpose-driven work has generated his reputation for positive collaboration and dialogue.

Before joining Aii, Daniele spent 13 years with HUGO BOSS, where he contributed to shaping and implementing the environmental strategy of the company in collaboration with key external industry initiatives.

Daniele earned a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Marche Polytechnic University and a Professional master’s degree in Management of Sustainability and Carbon Footprint from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

Operations Manager Chianne Shepherd is known for her dedication to operational excellence and process improvement. At Aii, she will be responsible for implementing systems to enable Aii to grow and scale effectively and will provide cross-functional project management support. She is thrilled to blend her interests and professional skills to further Aii’s mission.

Chianne has always been passionate about the fashion and beauty industries and began her professional career by attending the Paul Mitchell school. After 10 years in cosmetology, she joined Aveda as an educator and developed a deep appreciation for sustainability and environmental responsibility. During the past eight years, she has focused on customer relationships and operations in the education technology sector.

Manufacturing Engagement Manager Disha Pande started her career in the textile industry almost a decade ago and believes that it is vital to support manufacturers in joining the sustainability movement by providing them necessary information and expertise. She is excited to join Aii in this new role, where she will be responsible for managing and executing Aii’s recruitment and ongoing partnership activities with manufacturers in South Asia.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in apparel production, she worked in product development with a leading apparel exporter and a major domestic brand that specializes in Indian handwoven products and handicrafts. After completing her master’s in social entrepreneurship, she joined a global nonprofit to manage stakeholder engagement within the textile supply chain in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Hanlu Wang joins the Apparel Impact Institute as a Program Coordinator, where she will handle data analysis related to all Aii programs at our Beijing office, while also supporting and coordinating our programs.

She comes to Aii following nearly three years in the corporate management consulting division at Grant Thornton International Ltd. in Beijing, where she gained experience in project management, corporate process control, and information systems. Hanlu holds a B.S. in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University.

A cause-driven professional who is passionate about making a difference in the world, Manager of Marketing and Communications Nakia Granberg has dedicated her career in communications to nonprofit and government agencies. Most recently, she served as social media manager and writer for a county Department of Human Services, creating and implementing policies, standards and style guides to ensure consistent and effective communication.

Nakia joins Aii as the organization’s first full-time marketing and communications hire. In this role she is excited to build and maintain marketing and communications processes that help the organization grow and thrive.

As Director of Sustainable Finance, Giovanni is responsible for fostering blended finance strategies and partnerships for Aii. Giovanni has over 10 years of experience designing and implementing innovative financial instruments in emerging and fragile markets alongside development finance institutions, non-profit organizations, and private sector players.

Prior to joining Aii, Giovanni worked with the Dutch Good Growth Fund managing the Seed Capital program which funds pioneer and early-stage finance intermediaries with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Giovanni has also worked at the International Finance Corporation covering Latin America, LGT Venture Philanthropy covering Asia Pacific, and has held multiple advisory roles globally.

Based out of Amsterdam, Giovanni holds an MPA Development Practice from Columbia University and a BA in Business Management from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico.

As Accounting Manager, Mark is responsible for all financial accounting and reporting activities, along with supporting management accounting activities such as cash management, budgeting, forecasting and analysis. He is involved in supporting presentations to the Board’s Finance and Audit Committees and plays a major role in influencing and shaping the strategy, policies, and internal controls of the organization.

Mark has more than 15 years of progressive accounting experience, including for-profit, non-profit, Accounting Manager, and Controller-level experience.

Mark received his B.S. in Accounting & Finance, as well as his M.S. in Accounting from Wilmington University. He is currently focusing on completing his CPA designation and applying to Doctoral Programs in International Finance & Economic Policy.

Based in India, Laxmikant has wide experience in audits, consultancy, and providing bespoke trainings. He has conducted 400+ audits in chemical management and worked in the capacity of Higg FEM Chemical Specialist Verifier. An accredited ZDHC trainer, Laxmikant provided various trainings on chemical and wastewater management across the globe. Laxmikant has extensive experience working with international agencies and brands/retailers based mainly in the US and Europe. He has also conducted 50+ RCA audits as a “Chemical and RCA expert” in multiple countries in Asia.

As Aii’s Regional Lead, SEA, Laxmikant will manage and execute Aii’s recruitment and ongoing partnership activities with apparel brands, manufacturers, and service providers in the SEA market. He will align Aii’s methodology of Carbon Leadership Programs for facility-level impact to develop best practices and market insights for the SEA market.

Laxmikant holds a Ph.D. (Tech) in Fibres & Textile Processing Technology from the University of Mumbai, India. He is also a certified ISO 14001:2004 EMS lead auditor.

Pauline has over six years of experience advising corporates on their decarbonization strategies at the leading mission-driven consultancy, the Carbon Trust. As the organization’s apparel sector lead, she helped several apparel & footwear clients – including VF Corp, Dr. Martens and ASOS – measure scope 3 footprints, set science-based targets and develop implementation roadmaps. Pauline’s expertise in apparel sector decarbonization was recognized by Forbes in 2020, earning her a place in the Europe 30 under 30 (Retail & E-commerce category). Pauline recently set up the Carbon Trust’s Amsterdam office and helped grow the team from 3 to 20. Pauline holds a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics.

Pauline is joining Aii as Environmental Portfolio Lead, working on the Fashion Climate Fund and the Climate Solutions Portfolio. Pauline is excited to start to use her sectoral expertise to drive more direct impact into the apparel supply chain and work on making supply chain decarbonization a more concrete and accessible reality – noting that the time for action is now.

As a program manager at Aii, Gloria Wang will be responsible for data analysis and coordinating tasks related to our projects. After earning a Master’s degree in Finance from University of California, San Diego, Gloria started her career as a consultant at PwC China, with a passion for sustainability. This working experience provided a chance to develop her ability to identify problems and deliver tailored solutions that meet clients’ unique needs.