Before founding SGS, Chid worked in finance and as an information systems analyst for several high-growth technology companies including Metavante Technologies, Mindjet Corporation, and Trilogy Integrated Resources. In 2009, Chid received the designation of Fellow by the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) for his work developing strategies that aide sustainable ventures in the achievement of organizational excellence. Though a Liberian native, Chid left Africa as a child when his father accepted accreditation as Liberia’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. Following his father’s diplomatic service, Chid’s family took refuge from Liberia’s civil unrest in the United States where he attended grade school through university, excepting one term at Bordeaux Management School in France.
Prior to founding SGS, Adam was a sales executive for Federal Building Services and Techteriors. After completing his studies at New York University, Adam worked in advertising as Michael Scott’s first assistant and later for Kamper, Sprouse, Colley Studios in Manhattan. A noted fine-art photographer, Adam has shot for several high visibility global retail brands including Victoria’s Secret, Parisians – Catalog, Dupont Lycra, Coca-Cola, and Kodak. Adam is also a private investor and sits on the Board of Directors of Tikkun Olam Foundation, where he assists in directing grants towards international development projects.
Prior to joining SGS, Dana served as the San Francisco Event Director for Gen Art, the leading arts and entertainment organization in the United States dedicated to showcasing emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. While at Gen Art, Dana was the key decision maker with regard to development, marketing, programming content and event design. She produced and coordinated events and cross promotions across the country partnering with major retailers and product manufacturers including Bloomingdales, GAP, Microsoft, TravelZoo, PopSugar, Splendora, and Herman Miller. She has also produced eight independent films and was involved in the production of over a dozen commercial projects and eight pictures.
Edward has a distinguished 40-year career in sales and marketing highly focused in the apparel business. In the late 1960’s, Edward joined Rosenau Brothers where he sold children’s clothes to large retailers including Mervyn’s, Macy’s, and Ross. Following his employment with Rosenau, Edward built the largest children’s clothing sales organization on the West Coast of the U.S., managing offices in Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. He recently served as national sales manager at Trilogy Integrated Resources.
Prior to joining SGS, Kunal grew Eastern Warmth, Inc. into a multimillion dollar apparel sourcing and manufacturing operation. Kunal founded a 150 machine garment manufacturing facility in India where he produced apparel for a variety of clients including Mountain Equipment Coop and Prana. In keeping with SGS’s environmental objectives, Kunal’s manufacturing career has been focused on the use of sustainable fabrics and powering the process with renewable energy. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Bombay and completed graduate coursework in Fashion Design and Textiles at San Francisco’s Academy of Art.
Sam brings experience from industry leading companies including Target Corporation and General Mills where he served as a Human Resources Manager in supply-chain manufacturing and human capital development. The youngest of seven, Sam was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He received the distinguished Josie Johnson Award for Human Rights and Social Justice which garnished him recognition from the U.S. Senate. He is a graduate of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and has completed graduate coursework in Fashion Design and Textiles at San Francisco’s Academy of Art.
Jeffrey is the President of the Textile and Apparel Division of Shinyei, a global trading company established 123 years ago in Kobe, Japan. He and his team specialize in design, sourcing, and manufacturing sportswear. For the last 34 years, Jeffrey has explored the clothing industry from all perspectives – he was an assistant buyer at Macy’s, an account executive at Haggar, an EVP of Hagale (a private label company), and a senior executive at two Fortune 500 corporations, Kellwood and Oxford. Fluent in brand licenses through his most recent work at Oxford Industries, Jeffrey was responsible for running and growing existing clothing brands, as well as being part of reinventing and introducing new brands to the marketplace. Jeffrey also has extensive experience marketing and producing Private Label brands for clients including Brooks Brothers, Jos A. Bank, LL Bean, J Crew, Orvis, and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Michael Kleinmann has been a visionary in the apparel industry for several years, consulting, speaking and writing about upcoming trends in Cosmopolitan and DNR fashion magazines, The New York Times and The New York Post, and others major news outlets. His expertise extends across both the men’s and women's markets in fabrication, design, e-commerce, marketing, and customer service. Since becoming president of Freshpair.com in 2002, Kleinmann has drawn on his information technology and digital branding background to assemble a world-class team and establish an adaptive, consumer-friendly, leading edge e-commerce site. Kleinmann's entrepreneurial spirit and creative marketing have helped Freshpair to quickly become a recognized force in the intimate apparel industry. Michael is also co-founder of National Underwear Day.
Eric has over 35 years of experience in banking and IT services, with specific experience in senior management positions with IBM and US Bank. In 1984, Eric became cofounder and CEO of Computer People Unlimited (CPU), headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. CPU was acquired by Compuware in 1994. Eric is also a private investor and advisor to small businesses.
Allison Duncan is the founding principal of Amplifier Strategies. She is widely known for her unique expertise in financial and operational risk management, program portfolio management, and defining creative strategies for increasing program success. Before launching Amplifier Strategies, Allison held various executive positions at the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation. Allison also has extensive experience managing large-scale global environmental initiatives. She was the Foundation’s program director for the Conservation International & Global Conservation Fund, operating in Brazil, Guiana, Madagascar, Andean countries and countries of Melanesia. Prior to joining the Moore Foundation, Allison was a client service manager at Deloitte & Touche, LLP. At Deloitte, Allison was chosen for high-profile assignments in Russia, New York and Silicon Valley. Allison contributes frequently to national trade journals and has developed several technical training modules. She routinely leads implementation and facilitated technical training for professionals of all levels nationwide and internationally.
Healther is COO of rrripple. Prior to joining rrripple, she was Partner and National Director, Foundation Division of IFF Advisors LLC, a firm that provides strategic and operational support to a wide range of foundations, family enterprises, corporations, public agencies and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining IFF, she was President of The Hiles Group LLC, a philanthropic consulting firm. Ms. Hiles was the first CEO of San Francisco Works, a nationally recognized public-private workforce development intermediary, and a co-founder of EARN, a city-wide asset accumulation and economic development program for low-income families. Prior to SFWorks, she created and ran the Affluent Market Practice for Spectrem Group, a financial services consulting firm. Her early career was spent in direct service and program management with educational programs serving low-income teens and families in the Bay Area. Ms. Hiles served as a Commissioner of the San Francisco Board of Education and a member of the San Francisco Workforce Investment Board. In 2003, she was Communications Director for the Gavin Newsom for Mayor Campaign. She holds a MBA with emphasis in Finance and Strategic Planning from Yale University School of Management, and a B.A. in Development Studies and Ethnic Studies from the University of California at Berkeley.
Heather is Senior Manager of the Garment and Textiles division at Transfair USA, the global organization that enables sustainable development and community empowerment by cultivating equitable global trade and certifying and promoting Fair Trade products. Before her current position with Transfair USA, Heather cofounded Colibrí, a social enterprise delivering market data to Latin American farmers via mobile phones. Additionally, she was a Social Compliance Specialist at Columbia Sportswear and a Peace Corp volunteer in Mali where she helped farmers grow and use soy to fight against malnutrition. Heather holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School.
© 2009 Sustainable Global Sourcing