Kofi Annan steps into fashion business and guides Geox in sustainability

Kofi Annan enters fashion business for a good cause. The Nobel Peace Prize and former Secretary General of the United Nations is joining the ethics and sustainable development committee of Italian footwear group Geox. The company launched this entity in 2005 under the guidance of professor Joaquín Navarro Valls, former spokesman of Pope John Paul II.

Navarro developed the ethical code of Geox with the aim of defining the company’s ethical approach and implementing conduct standards for employees, shareholders, customers and suppliers. Over time, the committee has been updating this code of conduct.

Annan will become now the leader of the committee. Geox believes that the experience of the Nobel Peace Prize in the field of international law is a valuable asset. The company also ensures that its corporation will strengthen its credibility in the ethics field.

Geox ended fiscal 2017 with sales of 884.5 million euros, 1.8% less than in the previous year. Despite the turnover drop, net profit multiplied by seven reaching 15.4 million euros, compared to 2.01 million euros in fiscal 2016.