Patricia Featherstone as Chairperson of EDANA

July 16, 2012 - Belgium

EDANA, the Association Serving the Nonwovens and Related Industries, has announced its new Board of Governors for 2012-2013. Patricia Featherstone (RKW) has been elected Chair of the Board of Governors following her previous role as vice-Chairperson.

She will be supported by returning vice-co-Chairperson Gerd Ries (Johnson & Johnson), and Treasurer Paul Eevers (Unilever) who continue to serve for another term. Past Chair, Jean-Marie Becker (Suominen Nonwovens) will serve as vice-co-Chairperson together with Gerd Ries.

Continuing the tradition to give a voice and presence to companies that represent the breadth of the nonwovens and related industries, Patricia Featherstone thanked all members for their continued service, including the outgoing Chair, and thanked the members of the Board, and their ongoing work which serves to position EDANA as ever more focused on its members and the service it delivers to the broad industry.

Outlining her vision and passion for the industry, Patricia reaffirmed her support for the Association’s activities on behalf of and for the nonwovens and related industries “We will continue to build on the work that we have done together for the Vision 2020 programme, so that together with our stakeholders we help design the future of the nonwovens industry.” In discussing the role the Association had in helping to identify and foster the next generation of those who will help to define and innovate the industry, she said “Assuring the future of the industry is paramount, and to this end, I firmly believe that our collective and pro-active support of the new generation of scientists, and the exciting innovations that they will bring, will credit our Global Industry as a whole.”

In addition, Patricia reaffirmed her support of the EDANA 2.0 programme, using the outcomes of the Vision 2020 report and additional work undertaken by the Board of Governors for the past 18 months, to support the evolution and continued development of the Association and its services to meet all the challenges that this presents and, most importantly, bring maximum benefit to member companies.

In welcoming the new Board, Pierre Wiertz, General Manager of EDANA said “The foundation the Board provides to ensure the work EDANA does on behalf of the industry is vital. By ensuring a strong, active and diverse Board of Governors, EDANA enjoys the privilege of drawing on many years of experience across not only all parts of our broad industry, but across multiple regions. The reaffirmation of our Board is a powerful reminder that our activities meet not only our members’ expectations, but also the broader industry’s requirements well into the future.”