The European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX) has announced Serge Piolat the company’s President for the next two years during the General Assembly on 4 June.

Mr Piolat who will succeed Alberto Paccanelli as of 1 January 2015 until the end of 2016, co-owns Schappe, a French Group of companies specialised in the production of technical spun yarns supplied to various industrial sectors. A member of Euratex Board of Directors since 2009, he acted as Vice-President since 2011.

Honoured and grateful

Serge Piolat comemnted: “I am very honoured and grateful for the confidence the entire European Textile and Clothing Industry expressed by my nomination. My intention is, together with my colleagues of the Board of Directors, to continue the progressive evolution initiated by the current President Alberto Paccanelli.”

“I expect strengthening and consolidating Euratex as the European single voice of the Textile and Clothing industry.”

In the following years Piolat plans to focus on a number of strategic priorities, among them: enhancing the competitiveness of European manufacturing and lobbying for a genuine European industrial policy; increasing knowledge and access of companies to the European programmes; achieving concrete results in market access across the world and promoting level playing field in international competition.

Challenging and exciting

“We should ensure adequate inclusion of technical textiles, new technologies and assembling methods in Europe and increase communication on the excellence of European products notably towards the respect of environment, consumer safety and labour rights,” he said.

Alberto Paccanelli, current President of Euratex, underlined: “At the end of 2014, my second term of the Euratex Presidency will be over. Those four years were a challenging and exciting period when we were able to collectively manage the process of Euratex modernisation to serve our industry most efficiently. I am confident that my successor will continue this work brilliantly and will further strengthen the role of Euratex.”

Mr Piolat has an extensive international experience in the textile industry as he spent most of his career in the Porcher Industries Group. He was COO of the Group from mid-2003 to mid-2007. Since 2007 he is CEO of Schappe Group.

www.euratex.eu