New role drives marketing strategy, brand positioning, consumer engagement and global outreach to increase demand for cotton
(Memphis, TN)— The Cotton Board, on behalf of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program, is pleased to share the appointment of Bev Sylvester as chief marketing officer at Cotton Incorporated. This newly created role reflects the Program’s continued focus on strengthening cotton’s market position and increasing demand by aligning fiber-level decision making, retail execution, and consumer engagement.
As the organization charged with implementing the Cotton Research and Promotion Program, Cotton Incorporated will look to Sylvester to oversee marketing strategy, brand positioning, consumer engagement, and global outreach efforts designed to increase demand for cotton and reinforce its relevance across the value chain.
Sylvester brings more than 20 years of senior-level marketing and brand leadership experience across apparel, textiles, consumer goods, and branded materials. Her background includes private label and branded businesses, licensing, e-commerce, and integrated global storytelling with mills, manufacturers, brands, and retailers—experience that aligns closely with the Program’s objective of influencing cotton use at key decision points.
Most recently, Sylvester served in a leadership capacity at Unifi Manufacturing, Inc., a global fiber manufacturer, where she led global marketing efforts for REPREVE, a branded recycled polyester fiber used by apparel and home brands worldwide. In that role, she worked directly at the fiber level, engaging mills, manufacturers, sourcing teams, designers, and retailers to drive adoption and preference—providing valuable insight into how fiber-level decisions are made and influenced across the supply chain.
“Bev brings a clear understanding of how fiber and material choices influence outcomes across the value chain and how those decisions ultimately shape market confidence and demand,” said William Kimbrell, president and CEO of Cotton Incorporated. “Her experience at the fiber level, paired with her work with brands and retailers, strengthens our ability to engage decision-makers at the points that matter most and support long-term demand for cotton.”
In this role, Sylvester will lead Cotton Incorporated’s marketing strategy and demand-building initiatives. Her work will focus on shaping clear, compelling narratives around cotton’s value and aligning those efforts with the needs of mills, manufacturers, brands, and retailers—supporting informed raw material decisions across the value chain, with pull-through to the consumer.
“Fiber choice is shaped by performance requirements, sustainability expectations, and increasing transparency across the supply chain,” said Sylvester. “I look forward to working across the value chain — from sourcing and manufacturing through brand, retail and consumer engagement — to ensure that cotton’s strong value-based proposition and fiber benefits are clearly understood and connected to the decision-makers and end users who ultimately drive demand.”
Sylvester also brings extensive consulting experience launching and scaling brands across multiple apparel and lifestyle categories, along with a global perspective shaped by both corporate and advisory roles.
Her appointment supports the Cotton Research and Promotion Program’s market-driven strategy, with an emphasis on engaging midstream decision-makers—mills, manufacturers, brands, and retailers—while continuing to invest in consumer demand-building efforts. Together, these initiatives are designed to strengthen cotton’s competitive position in today’s marketplace.
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Contact: Stacey Gorman, Senior Director of Communications (901) 233-9356 / About The Cotton Board: The Cotton Research & Promotion Act established the Cotton Board as a quasi-governmental, non-profit entity to serve as the administrator of the Cotton Research & Promotion Program. Funded by America’s Upland cotton producers and importers through the cotton check-off, the Program’s research and promotion activities are conducted worldwide by Cotton Incorporated, the Cotton Board’s sole-source contracting organization, to increase the demand for and improve the market position of cotton. For more information about the Cotton Board and the innovative activities stemming from the Program, visit www.cottonboard.org.