menopause in the care sector

After finishing a master's in Textiles, Alex started his career as an R&D manager in a spinning mill. First for carpet yarns and later also for technical yarns. His interest in PPE was raised at that time and after 7 years he continued his expertise by doing R&D for a weaving, dyeing, and finishing mill active in the PPE sector before going to the next stage in the process: manufacturing work and protective wear.

He uses his 30 years of experience throughout the value chain to develop and certify personal protection with an emphasis on comfort and functionality as he believes that making PPE garments more comfortable for the wearer will result in correct wearing and protecting the individual. He tries to develop what users want and bring added value to them.

Making the choice for alsico was easy as they have the DNA for sustainable developments and social responsibilities, values he shares with the company. Being an expert means also supporting the sector to share knowledge where he’s an active member on the board of the Belgian Federation Febelsafe responsible for education and chairman of the working group Care4Safe.

Veerle embarked on her dynamic career journey spanning 17 years in the industrial laundry sector. Her role evolved from providing exemplary customer service to leading the procurement of professional workwear. This is where her deep-rooted passion for textiles and sustainability was born.

Driven by a desire to further expand her knowledge within the textile industry, Veerle transitioned to The Witte Lietaer, where she deepened her expertise in textile technologies and fabrics.

Inspired by alsico's unwavering commitment to its mission and dedication to sustainability, Veerle made the strategic decision to join the team. With her extensive background and passion for making a positive impact, Veerle is poised to leverage her expertise to drive sustainable practices and make a meaningful difference.

As a firm believer in the power of collaboration and innovation, Veerle is eager to contribute her unique insights and expertise to support alsico's sustainability goals and help shape a more sustainable future for the textile industry.

Jo grew up in the former family knitwear factories in Sint-Niklaas, sparking at a very young age his fascination for everything involving designing, manufacturing, and repairing quality products.

Unfortunately during the last decades, the global industry evolved from sustainable "quality products buying" to unsustainable "product price buying", triggering his passion to help make the industry sustainable again.

So throughout his career path, he purposely went through all possible industry steps to better understand all the crucial roles/jobs we all have when we procure, design, manufacture, inspect, market, repair, and recycle quality products.

With those new insights, he started focusing on sustainability and how to create impact. “Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.”

Hence this path has led to alsico where we rethink our products, the materials that we use, the manufacturing techniques, the energy we use, the way we use products during their lifetime, the impact we have on our employees' daily lives, and many more aspects that will ensure there is a tomorrow for all of us.

Pauline graduated as a fashion technologist in Gent. That’s where her interest in product quality in the workwear and PPE industry ignited. She started her career at the Belgian federation of companies active in fashion, clothing and manufacturing. There she gave industry-related advice on quality, safety and sustainability topics.

She mainly worked on public procurements for governance instances. She was writing the technical file and setting requirements, evaluating the entries and production.

Pauline believes that with quality comes sustainability. It’s not a checkbox for a company but needs to be intertwined within every process. Alsico has that mindset. And with alsico striving to be the voice of the industry it was only logical to want to be part of this team and make a change.

Simon began his journey in design and marketing back in the late 80’s when he set up his first design company in the UK. After moving to London in the 90’s he began working on some of the UK’s largest brands on their first digital exposure. Brands such as easyJet, TESCO, Sainsbury’s, Worldpay, the V&A and Virgin Music. After a short spell as digital marketing manager for Sony Music Europe, he returned to the North to set up one of the leading digital and creative agencies in the area, running it for over 17 years. Simon is passionate about brand and message, ensuring all company efforts are aligned and consistent. He believes success for companies of all sizes stems from simplicity of message, consistent brand and an enviable reputation. His role at alsico is to oversee all design and marketing actives globally.