As an industry convenor, Ying McGuire says it's up to Cascale to drive meaningful, measurable impact.
, but she already knows what she doesn’t want to do. Among her list of no-nos: creating change for the sake of change.
“I’m here to protect what already works,” she said from her home in Austin. “I respect what has already been built and I’m very impressed by the caliber of the team, so I want to get a good understanding of the ecosystem and everyone’s strengths and unique capabilities in the coming weeks. I do not partner on slogans; I partner on specific things we can do together.
” Most recently, she served as CEO and president of the U.S. National Minority Supplier Development Council, a New York-based nonprofit that connects certified minority-owned businesses with large corporations. Before that, McGuire led business development at Technology Integration Group, growing the IT systems provider’s international business. She also led Dell Technologies’ indirect procurement and sourcing supply chain teams, increasing the company’s spend with historically underutilized suppliers from $600 million to $3 billion.
, whose 300-plus members largely hail from the apparel, footwear and textiles sectors, including brands, retailers, manufacturers, NGOs and academic institutions. McGuire’s story began in Wuxi, a city in China’s coastal Jiangsu province, just north of Shanghai.
“I grew up during the transition from Mao’s era to the market economy and, long story short, this industry really lifted my family, my neighbors, my community out of poverty, but I also saw the environmental and social repercussions,” she said. What’s not on LinkedIn, McGuire said, is that she was involved in her family’s mill until three years ago, when her sister, who was running it, sold the company after the heir to the business — McGuire’s niece — decamped to New York to become a fashion designer.
“Running an NGO is just like running a business,” she said. “I sit at the intersection of corporate systems thinking and the problem-solving agility of being an entrepreneur. ” McGuire will meet most of Cascale’s globe-spanning operational team for the first time at the organization’s annual meeting in Athens in September.
Later this month, she will host a series of conversations with members to better understand how to support them in a challenging macroenvironment marked by ongoing supply chain realignment, evolving sustainability regulations and uneven consumer demand.
“Value is everything for me,” McGuire said. “How do we bring value not only to our members, but to their businesses? To make sure not a cost center but a business advantage? ” At her Day One town hall with Cascale’s employees, she spoke about the “hedgehog concept,” a strategic framework from Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great” that draws on a Greek axiom: “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.
” In Collins’ telling, being a hedgehog means operating at the intersection of three circles: what you are deeply passionate about, what you can be the best in the world at and what best drives your economic or resource “engine. ” As an industry convenor, it’s up to Cascale to think like a hedgehog and drive meaningful, measurable impact, McGuire added.
“Our mission has not changed, but this industry will need to continue to evolve; our mechanisms will need to evolve,” she said. “We have done the very hard work of building the plumbing — that is, the universal measurement tools. The real challenge is how we take the depth of the data we have and turn it into business insights for our members that are not just reactive but predictive. And that will require all of us to work together.
” This includes reaching out to her predecessors, including Rick Ridgeway, who cofounded Cascale — back when it was known as theRecover Yarns brings the company's recycled cotton offerings to a new tier, Birla is ramping up lyocell manufacturing and more. WWD and Women's Wear Daily are part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Fairchild Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why Broncos May Be 'Potential Landing Spot' for QB Mason RudolphWhy the marriage could happen, and why it likely won't.
Read more »
CEO Talks: Berluti’s Jean-Marc Mansvelt Talks New Milan Store and ‘Focused Luxury’ StrategyBerluti opens a new Milan boutique, emphasizing Italian heritage and a revamped retail concept to attract local clientele and boost brand presence.
Read more »
2026 Infiniti QX60: New look, new engine, new experience?The three-row SUV from Nissan’s luxe brand is nice but snug even among competitors. Under the hood, the high-tech engine replacing the old V-6 has some decidedly low-tech limitations.
Read more »
Xbox's New CEO May Be Pressuring Bethesda to Launch New Single-Player RPG SoonerXbox's new CEO, Asha Sharma, may be putting pressure on her team to launch the new single-player RPG from Bethesda sooner rather than later. This has led to speculation that the game may be released within the next year, but fans are worried that the pressure to meet a deadline may result in a subpar final product.
Read more »