Erik Bang, innovation lead with the H&M Foundation, has confirmed to speak at Retail’s Cutting Edge in January.
Bang, who is based in Stockholm, Sweden, will speak about Reinventing Fashion with Sustainability, highlighting the success some of the long list of startups globally which have received funding from the charitable organisation. The H&M Foundation is financed by the H&M group’s owners the Persson family. Over the last five years it has invested US$200 million into innovation within fashion, sustainability, education and environmental issues.
{You can see the full agenda and speaker line-up here and purchase tickets to attend Retail’s Cutting Edge at the HKCEC on January 23}
Bang joined the H&M Foundation in 2014 to set up and run the foundation’s efforts within the focus area ‘Planet’. He developed – and is now strategically responsible for – the world’s largest competition for early stage innovation, the Global Change Award, launched in 2015. That role includes attracting, selecting and mentoring the winning innovation teams. Bang also initiated and oversees a pioneering collaboration with The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), with the goal of providing the industry with a solution for separation and recycling of blend textiles already by 2020.
With a background in finance and public relations, Bang was most recently working at promoting Swedish industry during four years at the International Council of Swedish Industries.
In 2018 he was named the Super Talent of the year by Swedish business weekly Veckans Affarer and was listed as one of Sweden’s best communicators by industry magazine Resume.
Through partnerships with experienced organisations around the world, the H&M Foundation aims to accelerate the progress needed to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Bang is one of a distinguished line up of speakers confirmed for next year’s #RCE2019 event, organised by Inside Retail Asia in partnership with InvestHK as part of the StartmeupHK Festival.
See the list of 13 speakers confirmed so far here.