John Kaufmann of Kaufmann Trading New York has died aged 66. He passed away in mid-February in the Cote d’Azure, France, where he planned to retire with his wife Rose.
Kaufmann joined Kaufmann Trading in the early 1960’s and after his father’s death took over the business and travelled with it to the Far East.
He finally settled in Hong Kong where he set up Kaufmann Rotterdam and Kaufmann New York. When the firms closed down, he remained in Hong Kong and established his own company dealing in finished leather, rather than in hides and skins.
Kaufmann was a member of the Hong Kong hide and leather association and an associate member of ICHSLTA. He had in-depth knowledge of arbitration and was instrumental in the negotiations which brought the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) into membership with the ICHSLTA. He was also a member of the association’s Asia committee.
