Luis Zugno appointed Chair of Leather Naturally

Luis Zugno has been appointed chair of Leather Naturally Management Board, the international organization that promotes the use of responsibly made, certified leather. “It is a great honor to receive this assignment” Zugno commented. “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our supporting members, Management Board, and Supervisory Council for their unwavering support in maintaining Leather Naturally as the leading educational resource organization for leather”,
Zugno, who has a Ph.D. in tanning research and more than 30 years of experience in the leather industry, succeeds Debbie Burton, communications director of the Leather Working Group, who stepped down after reaching the end of her six-year term as a board member.
Zugno joined Leather Naturally’s board in 2020 as leader of the Education Team. In this role, he not only oversaw the production of the valuable fact sheets and related supporting articles, but also created the Guide to Modern Leather Making, an easy-to-understand, freely accessible resource for anyone to use. He currently works as Global Innovation Manager for chemical manufacturer Buckman International. He also holds the position of executive secretary of the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS), of which he has also served as president.

Outgoing president, Debbie Burton, stressed the importance of the work done so far by recalling the last major achievement. “The power of the industry coming together to better educate people about leather has never been better exemplified than in the work that Leather Naturally undertook, in collaboration with Leather Working Group to update bovine leather in the Higg MSI. This work does not come for free, maintaining and updating the resources also carries a cost and our work is not done. As outgoing Chair I urge anyone who has not already done so, to pledge their support through membership of this dedicated organization.”