Meet the Consortium

Carola Dieners is the founder and managing director of SYNBELLE GmbH and brings extensive expertise in sustainable transformation and business innovation. With an MBA in General Management and a degree in Textile Engineering, she combines solid business acumen with in-depth industry knowledge. Over the course of her career, Carola has held senior leadership roles—including Head of Business Development & Product Management at OEKO-TEX® and Head of Sustainability Management at PKZ Men & Women—where she played a key role in driving CSR strategies, business innovation, and digital transformation processes within the textile sector.

Her core areas of focus include sustainability management, certification systems, innovation strategy, and business transformation. She advises companies and sector stakeholders worldwide on the implementation of key frameworks, including OEKO-TEX®, amfori, Fair Wear, the EU and/or Swiss Textile Strategy, and principles of Circular Design and Fair Remuneration. In addition to her consulting work, she lectures at STF Zurich on finance, entrepreneurship, and sustainability - sharing her practical experience with the next generation of professionals.

At CERTahead, she contributes her strong analytical skills, and structured approach to developing forward-thinking strategies - viewing sustainability as a driver of innovation.

Katharina Schaus is the founder of it fits – Organic Textile Partner and a pioneer in sustainability management with over 30 years of experience in the textile industry. As a co-initiator of the Global Organic Textile Standard she has been instrumental in shaping the sustainable transformation of the sector. She serves as a GOTS-approved consultant and member of the IOAS Accreditation Committee, contributing her expertise to the development and assurance of sustainability standards.

In the 1990s, she established one of the first inspection and certification systems at IMO Swiss AG. Since then, she has conducted hundreds of audits, delivered numerous in-house trainings, hosted and spoke at conferences, led expert surveys, and managed various GIZ projects. With a strong focus on transparency and traceability along the value chain, she effectively bridges regulatory requirements with practical business needs—developing hands-on pilot projects that span from cotton farming and processing to certification readiness in line with GOTS, Textile Exchange Standards, Circular Design approaches, and social programs. 

At CERTahead, she applies her extensive expertise and hands-on experience to future-fit solutions—guided by a clear commitment to sustainability.

Simone Seisl is a trained apparel engineer and designer, with over 30 years of experience across the global fashion and textile industry. After international leadership roles - including buyer for a multi-brand retailer, designer and product manager - as well as heading up global categories at adidas - she shifted her focus towards sustainability in the sector, scaling responsible and circular programs and supply chains.
 
She held positions such as Senior Supply Chain Consultant for an NGO or Head of Marketing & Sales at Remei AG before founding her own business in 2014. She supports brands, suppliers and government initiatives in developing raw material strategies, implementing certification schemes, advancing circular business models, and launching ESG innovations. She also held various roles at Textile Exchange, responsible for global and regional Roundtables or strategic and stakeholder work on MMCF for example.
 
Simone Seisl also trains the educational sector, and is passionate about creating lasting impact through training of trainers as well as multistakeholder engagement.
 
At CERTahead, she combines fiber and materials excellence, supply chain insights with strategic vision to accelerate meaningful transformation in companies and organizations alike.