General

After a tenure spanning almost a decade, Joost Oorthuizen, founding CEO of Invest International and former CEO of IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative, is stepping down from the BCI Council.

Joost Oorthuizen joined the BCI Council in 2012 and has been an extraordinary driving force from the beginning. He has witnessed Better Cotton develop into the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world, and his dedication and expertise have helped to achieve that success and scale.

Better Cotton would not have been able to grow its programme to reach millions of cotton farmers without IDH, and in particular, Joost’s friendly but critical eye, ability to hold the sector to account, and his unwavering support for Better Cotton and our vision and mission.

Whenever I am asked to speak about the remarkable growth and success of Better Cotton, I always cite the partnership with IDH and the launch of the Better Cotton Fast Track Programme in 2010, driven by IDH.  I would like to thank Joost for his tenure on the Council and his immense contributions to Better Cotton over the past decade.

On stepping down from the Council, Joost commented:

I would like to thank Better Cotton and its members wholeheartedly for the time I served on its council and the great programmatic partnership that we developed during the time I was leading IDH. We have helped millions of cotton farmers and farming communities in the process. I am proud of all that was achieved and wish the organisation lots of luck and wisdom going forward.

As Joost leaves to focus on his demanding new venture leading Invest International, we wish him success and thank both him and IDH for their unparalleled support over the past decade.

The next Council elections will take place in 2022. Vacancies will be announced later this month, and Better Cotton Members will be invited to apply. Members can get in touch if they would like to learn more about running for a position on the Council.

Find out more about the Council.

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