The GCA Expert Panel has extensive knowledge within fashion, business, investments, entrepreneurship and innovation. They are part of selecting our winners and play an active role in the GCA Impact Accelerator. They all participate pro bono.
GCA Expert Panel 2025
Claire Bergkamp, CEO at Textile ExchangeLinda Greer, Environmental Scientist & Impact Advisor Miles Kubheka, CEO at Wakanda Food Accelerator Anant Ahuja, Director ESG & Sustainability at Shahi Exports, CEO at Good Business Lab Danica Kragic, Professor of Computer Science at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Board Executive and AdvisorHelena Helmersson, Board Professional, Advisor, former CEO at H&M Group Walden Lam, Co-founder & President Unspun, GCA Alumni
Previous expert panels
2024
Amit Gautam Founder & CEO at TextileGenesis, GCA winner 2020
Anderson Lee President & CEO at Pinneco Research Limited
Caroline Brown Managing Director Closed Loop Partner
Miles Kubheka Social entrepreneur & Chief Executive Officer at Wakanda Food Accelerator
Linda Greer Senior Environmental Scientist Public and Environmental Affairs Beijing China
Dr. Lin Li Senior Environmental Scientist Public and Environmental Affairs Beijing China
Dr. Jonathan Donges Co-lead of PIK’s FutureLab on Earth Resilience in the Anthropocene
2022
Betelhem Dessie CEO, iCog Anyone Can Code
Caroline Brown Managing Director, Closed Loop Partners
Dr. Lin Li Director of Global Policy and Advocacy, WWF International
Malin Åkerman Actor and environmental activist
Mirna Inés Fernández Co-founder, Reacción Climática and Steering Committee member, Global Youth Biodiversity Network
Rachel Cernansky Senior sustainability editor, Vogue Business
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja Actor and social activist
Walden Lam Co-founder & CEO, unspun
2020
Wanjira Mathai Chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation
Malin Åkerman Actor and environmental activist
Tariq Fancy Founder and Chairman at Rumie, and Chief Investment Officer of Sustainable Investing, BlackRock
Abrima Erwiah Co-Founder and President, Studio One Eighty Nine
Betelhem Dessie CEO of iCog ACC (Anyone Can Code) and Project Advisor of Solve IT
Burak Cakmak Co-Founder at THEAN.co, Co-Founder at The Digital Fashion Group
Rosario Dawson Actor and Co-Founder, Studio One Eighty Nine
Sonam K Ahuja Actor and social activist
William McDonough Chief Executive McDonough Innovation and Co-Founder, Fashion For Good
2019
Tariq Fancy Founder and Chairman at Rumie, and Chief Investment Officer of Sustainable Investing, BlackRock
Leila Janah Social entrepreneur, CEO and Founder Samasource and LXMI
Edwin Keh CEO of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel
Steven Kolb President and CEO The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)
Chiling Lin Actor and sustainability influencer
Wanjira Mathai Chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation
William McDonough Chief Executive McDonough Innovation and Co-Founder, Fashion For Good
Bandana Tewari Contributor, The Business of Fashion
Amy Webb Quantitative Futurist and Founder of the Future Today Institute, Professor of Strategic Foresight at the New York University Stern School of Business
2018
Bandana Tewari Editor-at-large, Vogue India
Chiling Lin Actor and sustainability influencer
Dame Ellen MacArthur Founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
David Roberts Distinguished Faculty, Singularity University
Edwin Keh CEO of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel
Lewis Perkins President Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute
Sophia Bendz Executive in residence at Atomico
Steven Kolb President and CEO The Council of Fashion Designers of America
Vikram Widge Head of Climate and Carbon Finance at World Bank Group
A diverse group of experts is on the lookout for early-stage innovations by changemakers with the commitment, capacity, and initiative to solve problems and potentially advance the transformation of the textile industry.
The Changemaker Programme is at the heart of the Global Change Award. It’s a yearlong journey designed to help each winner develop their idea, grow personally, and understand how their innovation can help rewire the system. Being selected as a GCA winner is just the…
