Shuffle Board: Unspun Taps CEO, Haelixa Adds Board Member

Group 1: Company Appointments and Leadership Changes - Petri Alava, founder and former CEO of Infinited Fiber Company, has been appointed to the board of directors of Swiss traceability company Haelixa to support its global expansion plans following a recent capital raise of 2 million euros ($2.31 million) [4] - Unspun has appointed Arne Arens as its new CEO; Arens previously held leadership roles at The North Face and Boardriders, and will focus on expanding Unspun's localized production model to mitigate overproduction and inventory risks [6] - The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has elected Joe Preston, president and CEO of New Balance, as chair of its board for the 2026-2027 term, with other key appointments including Danilo Amoretty as vice chair and Chris Volpe as treasurer [7] Group 2: Industry Initiatives and Developments - The New York Fashion Innovation Center (NYFIC) has appointed Maureen Spillane as program manager; Spillane has over 20 years of experience in apparel supply chain operations and will oversee grant programs and industry partnerships to strengthen New York's fiber and textile supply chain [9] - Avalo, an AI-powered agtech company, has named Michael Kobori to its board of directors; Kobori has extensive experience in sustainability and will contribute to Avalo's focus on commercializing sustainable cotton as its first scale-up crop [11]