Ivan Kral, Industrial Development Officer at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), has announced his retirement after a 40 year career in the global leather industry, marking the end of 4 decades of work spanning leather manufacturing, technology development and sustainable industrial transformation.
Kral officially retired on 31 July 2026, bringing to a close a career that he described as two distinct and equally rewarding 20 year chapters.
He began his professional journey as a leather technician and technologist, working in leather production and tanneries at Koziarske Zavody before joining Tatra-Leder Liptovsky Mikulas in Slovakia, where he remained until 2006.
The second half of his career was spent at UNIDO, where he applied his technical expertise to support leather sector development across multiple countries. His work centred on sustainable industrial development, capacity building and promoting more efficient and environmentally responsible leather value chains.
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During his time at UNIDO, Kral collaborated with governments, industry organisations and technical institutions to support the leather sector through industry development projects, modern leather technology training materials, occupational health and safety initiatives, and programmes aimed at improving working conditions.
Reflecting on his career, Kral thanked colleagues and industry partners for their collaboration over the years.
“Thank you for your trust, your collaboration and your shared vision. Any impact I made was only possible because of the incredible teams I had the honor to work alongside.”
– Ivan Kral
He also acknowledged the organisations and partners with whom he worked throughout his career, including the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS), Leather Working Group (LWG), Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF), COTANCE, Council for Leather Exports (CLE), SPIN 360, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) and several other industry experts and institutions.
Although retiring from his full-time role, Kral said he intends to remain connected to the leather industry by serving as an advisor and mentor on selected initiatives, while also spending more time with his family and pursuing personal interests, including mountaineering and climbing.
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