Our People
DTRT employs approximately 5,000 full-time staff in Ghana, over 70% of whom are women. Each of our employees supports an average of three to five dependents - primarily children and other family - through the wages they earn at DTRT.
Our entry level staff earn twice the statutory minimum wage on average and DTRT provides support for transportation, meals and medical care. We are committed to ensuring a safe, comfortable and inclusive working environment for our associates.
DTRT is developing the next generation of apparel talent in West Africa through daily training and skills-transfer by our experienced expatriate staff, who contribute their skills gained working in leading apparel hubs around the world.
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“I was unemployed for a long time due to my “diminutive” nature. I was introduced to DTRT by a friend who told me to join the company because she has a friend who is physically challenged but working with DTRT. I applied and was given employment without the company discriminating against my “diminutive” physical appearance. I am so happy that a company like this exists. I had always wanted to be self-dependent irrespective of my “diminutive” nature, and DTRT has given me that opportunity to work, learn, earn and gain confidence amongst my peers. Although I have not spent up to a month in the company, I received weekly food allowance which has sustained me. Ordinarily I would have asked my senior brother for money but I haven’t this past two weeks and it gives me a sense of joy. I have told people about how the company did not discriminate against me and accepted me even though I had been rejected by so many companies due to my physical appearance.”
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“I was introduced to DTRT by a colleague in the cutting department. I joined the company because I needed financial stability. I was working with another manufacturing company but our salaries were always delayed. Sometimes, we were paid 2-3 months after work done and this did not help us plan financially. Since I joined DTRT, I have saved up money which I plan using to put up three bedrooms apartment in the future for myself and family on our family land. I like the fact that the DTRT is very welcoming and there is no discrimination at the workplace. Salaries are paid on time every month. Due to the decent work environment, I have introduced three friends to DTRT, one is currently working at the sewing/stitching department and two are working in the cutting department. They have been working in DTRT for the past three months.”
Senior Management
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Skip has over 35 years of experience across a variety of industries, including more than 20 years in executive roles in the textile and apparel sector.
Skip began his career in 1988 at the CPA firm Coopers & Lybrand, predecessor to PwC. In 1993, Skip joined The Upper Deck Company, a leading manufacturer and distributor of sports and entertainment collectibles with operations in the USA, Europe, and Asia generating nearly $1 billion in annual revenues. Skip served as CFO of Upper Deck for 10 years, where he was responsible for all financial and administrative aspects of the business and oversaw a quadrupling of revenues and profits during his tenure.
In 2004, Skip joined the WINDS Group, initially as CFO and later as President, where he oversaw business development, sales, finance, HR, legal, and IT functions worldwide. Skip first visited Africa to assess the apparel sector’s potential there in 2005, which led to WINDS establishing its first factory in Madagascar, driving a fundamental shift in the company’s operations and a dramatic increase in revenue and profit. During his time at WINDS, Skip helped lead the company to a greater than 800% increase in sales over six years.
Skip is a CPA licensed in the State of California. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
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Marc has worked in the sports apparel and sports lifestyle industry for nearly 30 years. After a career as a professional tennis player he started his career in the sportswear industry with setting up and operating his own full line sporting goods retail store in Germany from 1995-2002.
After selling the store in 2002, Marc was recruited by the WINDS Group, a Hong Kong based sports and athletic wear manufacturing company with offices in the US, Europe and China, and with factories in Haiti, Madagascar and Tanzania. Marc spent over 10 years with WINDS, holding positions from Category Manager to Merchandising Director to VP Business Development, COO and Managing Director.
During his tenure at WINDS, the company grew from less than $10 million to almost $100 million in annual sales. Marc travelled extensively to Asia and Africa and spent two years living in Hong Kong, developing deep knowledge of the apparel supply chain from design through manufacturing to retail.
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Wasantha joined DTRT in 2021, contributing decades of deep experience in the apparel sector. He is responsible for overseeing all of DTRT’s manufacturing operations
Mr. Perera was formerly the CEO of Africa at Hela Clothing, where he managed all factory operations and administrative functions in Africa for a +$200m apparel company with operations in Sri Lanka, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Before leading Hela’s growth in East Africa, Wasantha was Head of Operations for MAS Holdings and Brandix, two of Sri Lanka’s leading apparel companies.
Throughout his career, Wasantha has gained on-the-ground experience operating apparel businesses across Bangladesh, Kenya, Madagascar, Pakistan, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
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Salma is the founder of Dignity Industries and Managing Director of Dignity DTRT. Born and raised in Ghana, Salma has more than 30 years of experience in the garment industry.
Mrs. Salifu founded her first business – Salma Garments – in 1992 and began exporting garments to the US market four years later. She worked with corporate clients including Essence by Mail and Spiegel Inc., and was also a leading fashion designer for many esteemed members of the Ghanaian local and diaspora communities.
In 2001, Salma established Dignity Industries to operate the production for her fashion business, Salma Garments, and to undertake local apparel training programs in partnership with Woolworths in South Africa. Over the ensuing decade, Dignity grew to produce uniforms, overalls, jackets and military uniforms for various clients in Ghana’s private and public sectors. In 2013, Salma partnered with Skip Richmond and Marc Hansult, the co-founders of DTRT Apparel, to build a modern export-oriented apparel business in Ghana.
In 2015, Salma was honored as a "Woman of Excellence" by the African Union. She shared this honor with seven other high-achieving women from around the continent, including Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the former first ladies of Ghana and Mozambique.
Board of Directors
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Freda is an experienced business leader who has successfully led and transformed organizations and teams in her career span of over 40 years. Her leadership style has always been to inspire young talent to dream bigger, act boldly and be decisive.
She has been a frontrunner in supporting female talent, which drove her to co-found the Executive Women Network (EWN).
Freda is an expert at leading business transformations while helping teams and organizations through change. She was the first African woman to be appointed as CEO in Asia, Africa and Oceania within the Nestlé Group.
Currently, Freda serves as Board Chairperson of Zenith Bank Ghana, Independent Board Member of ZEN Petroleum and as the Board Chairperson of the DTRT Apparel Group.
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Thomas graduated from Southwest Missouri State University. He worked for VF Corporation for 34 years. He worked in engineering, factory management, sourcing, Human Resources, and lobby work in D.C.. His most recent position was the VP Global Product Procurement, responsible for all VF brands in the areas of global sourcing, global manufacturing and global direct material procurement. His responsibilities included $5 billion in FOB, over 525 million products procured per year and 20,000 employees.
Tom retired in 2017 and set up a global consulting company that works with companies on a global basis, helping with sourcing, manufacturing, efficiency improvements, Human Resources, recruitment, networking and factory safety.
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Danladi is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of Verod. Prior to founding Verod, Danladi held roles at Citibank Nigeria, Ocean and Oil Holdings, and at McKinsey & Company.
He is a Director of DTRT Apparel Ghana, Shaldag Limited, and Niyya Farm Group. Danladi also sits on the board of the African Venture Capital Association (AVCA) and the Private Equity and Venture Capital Association of Nigeria (PEVCAN). He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2014. He received a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Calvin College, an M.Sc. in Engineering-Economic Systems & Operations Research from Stanford University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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Trish is a Senior Vice President at Verod leading the Ghana office. Prior to this, Trish was a Manager in Financial Advisory at Deloitte and Touche (Ghana) where she managed engagements across Corporate Finance, Transaction Services and Valuation & Modelling. Prior to Deloitte, she worked with Verod as a Manager in Lagos and before that, in London with Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Lehman Brothers.
She received an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MSc in Finance and Private Equity from The London School of Economics and a BSc (Hons) in Applied Business Management from Imperial College London. Trish is also a CFA Charterholder.
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Steve is the founder and CEO of Havas Edge, the largest full-service performance marketing agency in the world. Under Steve’s leadership, Havas Edge has continued to innovate and evolve the way companies and individuals establish, create and maintain relationships with one another via television, print, radio, direct mail, and online mediums. Havas Edge has helped shape marketing campaigns for myriad blue-chip brands including DirectTV, TripAdvisor, DraftKings, Sleep Number, St. Jude Children’s Hospital and VistaPrint.
Steve is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego. He serves on the Boards of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Pacific Ridge School, and Feeding San Diego. He resides in California with his wife, Ruth, and sons, Luke and Nate.
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Ahmet is the CEO of AlphaTauri, a fashion brand and textile technology company established by Red Bull in 2016. He was formerly the Head of Global Consumer Products at Red Bull GmbH, overseeing a nearly $10B in annual consumer sales.
Prior to joining Red Bull, Mr. Mercan held progressive sales management roles at top European brands including Lacoste and PUMA Group. He holds a degree in Economics and Computer Science from the University of Cologne.
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Skip is founder and Co-CEO of the DTRT Group.
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Marc is founder and Co-CEO of the DTRT Group.