Cara Smyth is Vice President of Glasgow Caledonian University New York (GCU) and founding Director of The Fair Fashion Center. An executive GCU board member, Ms. Smyth is responsible for establishing the University’s New York campus and instilling its mission “For the Common Good” in all of its programs and initiatives.

Recognizing the integrated issues facing both the fashion industry and the world, Ms. Smyth leveraged her extensive apparel industry expertise to launch The Fair Fashion Center (FFC). The first of its kind, the FFC is proving the business case for sustainability in the apparel and accessories industry. Closely aligned with industry leaders, the work combines economic value creation with environmental stewardship, social inclusion, and sound ethics.

A veteran in retail and wholesale business, Ms. Smyth joined the school from an illustrious career of management, brand building and global scaling. She is the former CEO of Menichetti International, where she provided strategic business management to both the brand and the company’s other consultancies, including a diverse range of fashion and manufacturing firms. She also served as Director at Burberry Posen, President of Jil Sander, and began her career at Hugo Boss.

A native New Yorker, Ms. Smyth has long been a multi-lingual global citizen, having lived all over the world during her career in luxury fashion. In her role bridging the industry, academia and a sustainable future, she now serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council for Luxury and Apparel, is a board member of Sing For Hope, and a Carnegie Council Fellow. She serves as a mentor for Three-Dot-Dash, an organization that provides leadership to exemplary teens, and the 92Y Fashion Fellows Program.