Ian Bentley

Ian Bentley is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Parker Clay, an Ethiopian leather goods B-corp based in Santa Barbara, CA. Inspired by the possibility to provide dignified employment to vulnerable Ethiopian women, Ian founded Parker Clay in 2014 to provide consumers with handcrafted quality products while simultaneously empowering disadvantaged communities in Ethiopia.  

As their CEO, Ian makes it his top priority to execute sustainable business practices in the fashion industry. Building the company from the ground up, ethical employment and production and sustainability were not just lofty goals, but necessities. By having their production facility in Addis Ababa under Ethiopian ownership, the company can have a vertically integrated supply chain all while being intentional about workplace conditions, quality of products, and who is hired. Through his extensive knowledge in business and dedication to changing the Ethiopian community and the luxury fashion industry, Ian established Parker Clay as a certified B-Corp in 2018. Ian oversees their team of over 200 employees in their Addis Ababa HQ, where 80% of the employees are women and the majority have been hired out of exploitation through their partnership with Ellilta Women at Risk. Ian and his co-founder and CCO, wife Brittany Bentley, opened their first flagship store in 2016 in Santa Barbara, CA, and recently opened a second location in San Luis Obispo, CA. They have plans to keep this momentum going with a third location opening in Denver, CO in February 2022 and five additional stores over the next few years.

Since 2014, Parker Clay has provided over 700,000 hours of employment for their team in Ethiopia, believing that no one is better positioned to transform Ethiopia than the women who call it home. To Ian, empowerment demands more than just jobs and living wages. Under his leadership, Parker Clay aims to break the chain of dependency by providing women with the skills, tools, and means they need to uplift their communities, their way. Donations and dollars might help in the short term, but socioeconomic transformation doesn't come from a free pair of shoes. In fact, that means one less sale for the local shoemaker. Ian believes that living wages, safe workplaces, and educational opportunities go further.

Before launching Parker Clay, Ian attended California State University San Marcos and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing and Management). He began his career in the business world and worked with an organization called Steadfast Love, using business to bring sustainable development and uplift Ethiopian women and children.