The Vice Presidents Fritz A. Grobien, Managing Partner of Albrecht, Müller-Pearse & Co. Trade (GmbH & Co.) KG, Bremen, Jens D. Lukaczik, Managing Partner of the service company Cargo Control Germany GmbH & Co. KG in Bremen and Stephanie Silber, Managing Director of Otto Stadtlander GmbH, Bremen, will continue to serve as members of the Executive Committee.

President Haessig emphasizes: “I see a very challenging situation for the textile industry in Europe, but also globally. Contrary to our hopes, the global economic situation has remained tense overall and this is also having an impact on the textile industry. In addition, there are legal requirements, particularly from Brussels, which are putting a strain on supply chains. As the Bremen Cotton Exchange, we consider it as our task to ensure the greatest possible transparency for our members and also to represent the natural fibre cotton politically.”

Guest Speaker Professor Jean-François Gribomont

Jean-François Gribomont, CEO of the Belgian textile factory Utexbel NV, was invited to speak at this year's Annual General Meeting. In his role as President of the European textile association EUROCOTON, Gribomont reported on the current situation of the textile industry in Europe and the upcoming legislative projects at European level.

EUROCOTON - European Confederation of Cotton and Allied Textile Industries is the voice of the European textile industry for cotton and synthetic staple fibers, from cotton ginning to the production of yarns and fabrics from cotton and synthetic staple fibers. Due to the current relevance of the subject, a lively debate ensued among the participants, who shared their view of these developments from an entrepreneurial perspective.

Elections of the Board

The 150th Ordinary General Assembly of the Bremen Cotton Exchange in the 152nd year after the founding of the association approved the accounts, accepted the annual report of the Board of Directors for the fiscal year 2023 and unanimously granted discharge to the Board of Directors and management.

As usual, new elections to the Board also took place during the General Assembly. Henning Hammer, Otto Stadtlander GmbH, Bremen and Jan Kettelhack, Hch. Kettelhack GmbH + Co. KG, Rheine, retired from the Board as scheduled. Jan Kettelhack was newly elected to the Board. Peter Spoerry, Spoerry 1886 AG, Flums/Switzerland, resigned from the Board at his own request.

Further members of the Board are:

Hannes Drolle, Getzner Textil AG, Bludenz/Austria, Ernst Grimmelt, Velener Textil GmbH in Velen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Dr Uwe Mazura, General Manager of the Confederation of the German Textile and Fashion Industry, Berlin, Konrad Schröer, Setex-Textil-GmbH, Hamminkeln-Dingden, Roland Stelzer, Gebr. Elmer & Zweifel GmbH & Co. KG, Bempflingen, and Axel Trede, Cotton Service International GmbH, Bremen. Advisory members of the Board are Manfred Kern from the Association of the Austrian Textile, Fashion, Shoe, and Leather Industry as well as Björn von der Crone from Swiss textiles association Swisstextiles.

A special feature of the Bremen Cotton Exchange: The members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee are mostly from companies from different areas of the cotton supply chain, such as trade, processing, and services. This gives the commodities association access to an extensive network and worldwide information resources within the global cotton sector and beyond in the textile industry.