I have joined AmCham as an Independent Member. I have been in Uzbekistan and Central Asia since 1993. I was born is 1945 in Liverpool, UK. I was drawn into the cotton industry as a boy, and trained for 4 years as a classifier, after which I spent 4 years in Nigeria, inspecting and classifying raw cotton. Over the next 11 years (up to 1980) I carried my skills to most parts of the cotton world; including Africa, Europe, Australia and Asia. I then spent 12 years in UK as owner/manager in the hospitality business before returning to the cotton business in 1993, when I joined Wakefield Inspection Services (UK), coming lo Uzbekistan to take charge of their programme of training local cotton professionals to classify raw cotton in accordance with internationally-recognized standards. That initially was a 3 month Contract. And 13 years later I am still working in Central Asia. Remaining as a chief consultant for Wakefield, in Central Asia, I am now a fully independent cotton consultant, specializing in quality assessment throughout Central Asia and occasionally in Australia for various private and public clients. I am adamant that Uzbek cotton is generally of excellent quality, and that, with the high standards of classification becoming widespread, the market here is becoming (and will remain) universally recognized as first-rate.

I married Naira, a local girl, in 1995, and we have a 9-year old daughter, Karina (my pride and joy). I am a keen golfer. I am proud and honored to be one of the few independent (private) members of AmCham.

Phil Hesketh