Global Business Initiative on Human Rights

SECRETARIAT

MARK HODGE
Executive Director (based in the USA)
Email: mark.hodge@global-business-initiative.org
Mark has been working in the field of sustainability and corporate responsibility since 1999. In recent years, his work on Business and Human Rights has been focused on engaging with companies, civil society and governments in emerging and developing markets. Mark has undergone field visits, assessments, and training about human rights and business in a range of countries including Colombia, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, the UAE, South Korea and multiple locations within India. Click here for full bio

KATHRYN DOVEY
Director (based in Russia)
E-mail:kathryn.dovey@global-business-initiative.org
Kathryn is a leading practitioner in the field of business and human rights. Aside from her role as Director of GBI, Kathryn leads on gender issues within her field on behalf of the Institute for Human Rights and Business and Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative. Prior to GBI, Kathryn worked for five years as Programme Manager within the secretariat of the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR), chaired by Mary Robinson. Click here for full bio

KATRYN WRIGHT
Programme Manager (based in the UK)
E-mail: katryn.wright@global-business-initiative.org
Katryn Wright works as Co-ordinator and Researcher for the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights. She is responsible for organizing outreach events and logistics and overall support and co-ordination for the initiative. She has worked on events in New York, Cairo and Sao Paulo and is currently planning upcoming events in South East Asia (November 2011) and Africa (early 2012). Katryn also undertakes research for the programme. Click here for full bio

JO CLARK
Associate (based in the UK)
E-mail: jo.clark@global-business-initiative.org
Jo is responsible for all core communications for the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights. She has represented GBI at international events and acted as a liaision with key networks and partners. She previously worked as Researcher and Co-ordinator for BLIHR, co-ordinating all key activities and working as researcher for the business and human rights content of the programme. Jo represents GBI on the UN Global Compact Human Rights Working Group. Jo is also a Director of Work Ethics Ltd and has worked as a consultant for Business and Human Rights Associates. Click here for full bio

VANESSA ZIMMERMAN
Senior Consultant (based in Australia)
Vanessa is supporting GBI in the Responsibility to Respect in Contractual Relationships project, a joint project with the Institute for Human Rights and Business, as well as our work in ASEAN and the wider Asia-Pacific region. In addition Vanessa provides expert advice to multi-stakeholder actors working on business and human rights issues, including Rio Tinto where she is coordinating the review of the company’s human rights policies, procedures and commitments. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of Lawyers for Better Business. Between 2006 - 2011, Vanessa was a Legal Advisor to Professor John Ruggie in his capacity as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, as well as a research fellow at Harvard’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative. Click here for full bio

ADVISORS

Bjorn Edlund
Bjorn Edlund is a public affairs specialist with a global journalism and corporate background. He brought cross-cultural, socio-political experience from his time as reporter, bureau chief and news editor with United Press International and Reuters in Europe and Latin America to his work in large corporations. In his 20 years in business communications he worked as head of communications in three multinationals. His focus has been on how global corporations can play a positive role in the communities where they operate on the basis of a sound understanding of stakeholder concerns and by implementing appropriate policy frameworks. He recently retired from Royal Dutch Shell plc.

Margaret Jungk
In 2011 Margaret was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to serve on the UN Working Group on Human Rights and Business. Margaret is the founder and Director of the Human Rights & Business Department at the Danish Institute for Human Rights. She specializes in operationalizing human rights standards in commercial, governmental and other organizations, including measuring human rights and social impacts, screening for violations and poor practices, monitoring accountability, and evaluating organizations’ overall performance and strategy. Margaret holds a PhD in political science, specializing in international human rights law, from the University of Cambridge (UK, 1998), an M.Phil. in international relations from the University of Cambridge (UK, 1993), a fellowship from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel, 1991), and a BA in political science from the University of Kansas (USA, 1990).

John Morrison
John is Executive Director of the Institute for Human Rights and Business. He has extensive experience working with leading companies on issues of corporate responsibility and human rights. He worked previously with The Body Shop International plc (Head of Global Campaigning and Community Affairs) and led the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR) from 2003 to 2009. He has also worked for a number of civil society and governmental organisations on issues of migration, human trafficking and forced labour. John was the Founding Director of Business and Human Rights Associates Ltd, working with businesses, governments, intergovernmental organisations and NGOs on strategic responses to issues of governance and human rights. He acts as advisor to Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre and the United Nations Global Compact Human Rights Working Group.

Gerald Pachoud
Gerald Pachoud is Senior Adviser to the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support. His main role is to advise the ASG and formulate strategy with respect to the role of the private sector. He served from 2005 to 2011 as the Special Adviser to Professor John Ruggie during his mandate as Secretary General's Special Representative on business and human rights where he was closely involved in the development and drafting of the UN Guiding Principles. Gerald is currently on leave from the Swiss department of foreign affairs, where he initiated and led the program on business and human security. His other prior work experience included the Swiss ministry of economic affairs, the Swiss mission to the United Nations in Geneva, and an international management firm. He has a BA in international relations and a MA in international law from the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International Studies and was a research fellow with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He advises GBI in his personal capacity.

Andrea Shemberg
Andrea Shemberg served as a Legal Advisor to Professor John Ruggie, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for Business and Human Rights (SRSG) from 2007 to 2011. She led the SRSG’s work on investment and human rights covering both private investment contracts and public investment treaties and led his process to develop principles for responsible State-Investor contracts, formally submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in May 2011. Andrea began her legal career as a management-side attorney in Labour and Employment law advising companies on issues of health and safety, workplace discrimination and other labour rights issues. Her work in human rights began in 2002 as Legal Advisor to Amnesty International UK focusing on investment and human rights issues. In 2006 she took on the role as Legal Officer at the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in Geneva charged with establishing the ICJ’s first program on Business and Human Rights. Andrea holds a JD with honours from The Ohio State University and an MSc in Human Rights with Distinction from the London School of Economics.

Sune Skadegaard Thorsen
Sune is CEO and Founder of GLOBAL CSR, that advises corporations, government, multilateral and civil society organizations on social sustainability. With 20 years experience in international business and law, he specialized in Corporate Social Responsibility from 1996. Sune was Chair of the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Danish Section of ICJ, the Danish Peace Foundation and board member of DCISM and the. He is Director in Corporate Responsibility Ltd., UK., part of the International Advisory Network of the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and the CSR working group of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of the European Union Chairperson. Sune also acted as advisor to BLIHR. The World Bank, UNDP, EU, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs, the Danish Export Credit Agency and the Danish Industrialization Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) all received strategic advice.

Salil Tripathi
Salil Tripathi is Policy Director at the Institute for Human Rights and business. He has been engaged with some of the major international initiatives concerning business and human rights of the past decade. During his time at Amnesty International (1999-2005) Salil led the organization’s engagement with the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights (launched 2000), the Global Compact (launched 1999-2000), and the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (launched 2002).

Ursula Wynhoven
Ursula is the Head, Policy & Legal and Special Assistant to the Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact Office. The UN Global Compact is the UN’s voluntary corporate responsibility initiative focused on the areas of human rights, workplace, the environment and anti-corruption. In addition to handling the Global Compact Office’s legal affairs and policy matters, Ursula leads the Global Compact Office’s work programmes on the human rights and labour principles. She began working with the Global Compact Office in 2002. A lawyer by background, Ursula worked in private practice and government human rights agencies in both Australia and the United States before joining the United Nations. Ursula has also worked for the Secretariat of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the OECD’s corporate responsibility initiative.

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