Human Rights | Focus Areas | Sustainable Business Network and Advisory Services

Around the world, shocks including COVID-19, war and conflict in Ukraine and Iran, political polarization and unrest, and increased impacts of climate change are placing vulnerable populations at increased risk of suffering human rights abuses.

At the same time, a rapidly changing regulatory landscape, shifting investor expectations, and momentum towards mandatory human rights due diligence means business is increasingly expected to play a role in ensuring the human rights of all people throughout the value chain are respected. We are business and human rights experts who understand how to incorporate the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights into business strategies and operations. Effective management of human rights issues requires internal policy coherence, ongoing due diligence of priority human rights issues, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and provision of remedy for adverse impacts.

200+

BSR has conducted 200+ human rights assessments and implementation plans.

50M

50 million people globally are trapped in modern slavery.

87%

87 percent of consumers say that data privacy is a human right.

How We Can Help

Adding Value to Your Business and Society

We are pragmatic and forward-looking, meeting companies where they are on their human rights journey and tailoring our recommendations to the specific needs of each industry and the complexities of local contexts. We help companies understand and navigate the increasingly complex and fragmented global human rights landscape, prepare to comply with emerging legislation, and partner across their value chains to collaboratively manage human rights issues and address the systemic causes of human rights abuses.

We’ll help your business act on these principles while adding value for your business. Our service offerings include:

Sample Services

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Human Rights Assessments, Strategy, and Implementation

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Preparing for EU CSDDD

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Responsible Use of AI

Sustainability Insights

Insights+

A Business Guide to Responsible and Sustainable AI

Insights+ provides insights and foresight that empower sustainability leaders to be strategic C-Suite advisors by identifying and analyzing emerging and cross-cutting sustainability issues, as well as supporting their efforts to achieve tangible progress toward a more just and sustainable world.

In the sixth edition of Insights+, the Human Rights, Climate, and Technology teams set out the latest developments in upcoming regulations, discuss the implications for how AI is utilized in business across industries, and spotlight key emerging issues.

Blog

Why 2024 Could Be a Pivotal Year for Sustainability in the UK

Blog

Twenty Years of Implementing Living Wage

Blog

Closing the Gender Gap: Addressing Wage Inequality

Blog

Three Approaches for Integrating Human Rights into Corporate Risk Registers

Primers

Human Rights Industry Primers

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Tools and Resources

Human Rights Resources

Our sample collection of BSR member resources, including implementation toolkits, deep-dive topic briefings and reports, and other valuable content from our global team of sustainability experts.

BSR Introduction to IHL

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BSR Members Only

BSR Member Brief: Humanitarian Crisis in Azerbaijan

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BSR Members Only

Human Rights Governance Structures

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BSR Members Only

Human Rights Policy Review Tool

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BSR Members Only

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BSR Members Only

Collaboration

Collective Solutions for Meaningful Impact

Our collaborative initiatives and Roundtables enable companies to transform their businesses while creating shared solutions to global challenges and make a meaningful systemic impact.

Our Experts

Depth of Experience and Knowledge

Our Human Rights team consists of global experts across multiple industries, bringing a depth of experience in developing sustainable business strategies and solutions.

Lindsey Andersen

Associate Director, Human Rights

San Francisco

Associate Director, Human Rights, BSR

San Francisco

Lindsey works at the intersection of technology and human rights, helping both tech and non-tech companies identify and address human rights impacts associated with the development and use of technology and effectively incorporate business and human rights practices. Her focus areas include content governance, end-use risks of tech products and services, and the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies.

Prior to joining BSR, Lindsey worked with digital rights organization Access Now to drive the conversation on the human rights implications of AI. As part of this, she wrote the foundational report Human Rights in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Lindsey previously worked at Internews, implementing a large portfolio of internet freedom projects across Latin America, which focused on equipping journalists and human rights defenders with digital security skills and defending the free and open internet. Lindsey has worked and lived across Latin America and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Lindsey holds a Master’s in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University and a BA in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Recent Insights From Lindsey Andersen

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Hannah Darnton

Director, Technology and Human Rights

San Francisco

Director, Technology and Human Rights, BSR

San Francisco

Hannah works with multinational companies to align business and human rights strategies and facilitate incorporation of sustainable practices into business operations across sectors.

She focuses on the intersection of human rights and new, disruptive technology and leads the Tech Against Trafficking collaborative initiative.

Prior to joining BSR, Hannah worked with the Skoll Foundation, where she co-led the portfolio and investments team’s efforts to identify social entrepreneurs with the potential to drive large-scale social change. Her work led to over US$20 million in grants and investments between 2015 and 2018. Before Skoll, Hannah spent six years working in anti-human trafficking in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Bay Area. She is fluent in French.

Hannah holds a Master’s in NGOs and Development from the London School of Economics and a B.A. in Political Science and French from the University of Michigan. She currently serves on the advisory boards of Oxfam’s Women in Small Enterprise initiative and Convening17.

Recent Insights From Hannah Darnton

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Claudio Formisano

Global Lead, Human Trafficking and Forced Labor

Paris

Global Lead, Human Trafficking and Forced Labor, BSR

Paris

Claudio leads BSR’s portfolio on addressing modern slavery, human trafficking, and forced labor. He develops guidance for companies seeking to prevent and mitigate human trafficking and forced labor risks and advances policies to scale impact through BSR’s collaborative initiatives like Tech Against Trafficking, the Global Business Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and Building Responsibly.

He brings 15 years of experience in managing multidisciplinary programs on criminal justice, human rights, and security in multilateral settings. Prior to joining BSR, he worked at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), establishing and leading the Secretariat of the UN Inter-Agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT). As a senior advisor to the Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), he oversaw country needs assessments in North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Claudio holds a MA in Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria and an Executive Certificate from Harvard JFK School of Government in building and leading diverse organizations. He speaks English, French, and Italian.

Recent Insights From Claudio Formisano

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Salah Husseini

Director, Human Rights

Paris

Director, Human Rights, BSR

Paris

Salah leads BSR’s human rights practice within the Consumer Sectors industry cluster, which includes the following sub-clusters: Food, Beverage, and Agriculture; Commodities Trading; Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality; Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals; and Luxury, Apparel, and Beauty. He supports companies in implementing human rights due diligence programs and human rights strategy and governance development, as well as aligning with regulatory, investor, and other stakeholder expectations around human rights management. Additionally, Salah leads the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality and is a regular contributor to the Human Rights Working Group.

Prior to joining BSR, Salah worked at a major media conglomerate where he ensured compliance with labor law requirements within the company’s manufacturing supply chain. He also worked with a standard-setting organization that developed the first auditable program for labor standards enforcement in manufacturing. Additionally, he practiced as an attorney in New York City, focusing on civil rights issues.

Salah holds a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law, and a B.A. in Political Science, Spanish, and Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan. He speaks Arabic, English, and Spanish.

Recent Insights From Salah Husseini

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Rosa Kusbiantoro

Director, Transformation

Singapore

Director, Transformation, BSR

Singapore

Rosa works with companies across various sectors such as extractives, agriculture, and manufacturing on sustainability management, including human rights and supply chain sustainability.

She has over 15 years of experience conducting on-site human rights impact assessments and social impact assessments in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, India, and Australia. She also supports companies in the development and implementation of human rights and sustainability strategies and management plans in alignment with international standards and good industry practices.

Prior to joining BSR, Rosa worked as a consultant for Cardno Emerging Markets, where she helped mining, oil, and gas companies develop social impact management plans, stakeholder engagement strategies, and health, safety, and environmental policies in countries such as Burkina Faso and Timor-Leste. She also has provided program coordination for an AusAID program in Indonesia with more than 200 national and international advisers.

Rosa holds a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from the Bandung Institute of Technology, and an M.S. in Finance from Drexel University.

Recent Insights From Rosa Kusbiantoro

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Francesca Manta

Director, Membership and Human Rights

New York

Director, Membership and Human Rights, BSR

New York

Francesca brings more than 12 years of experience in human rights, sustainability management, and responsible supply chains to her work with companies in the infrastructure, financial services, and consumer products sectors. After spending her first years at BSR with the human rights team and successfully leading numerous engagements as Nordics lead in Copenhagen, Francesca is now based in New York City and leads our global membership team.

Prior to joining BSR, Francesca worked at a global Danish retailer, where she was responsible for human rights programs at the corporate and local level. Francesca has also previously worked with the Danish Institute for Human Rights as well as Vestas and Maersk, where she was part of their sustainability teams and helped to establish social compliance systems and managed broader sustainability initiatives such as materiality, reporting, and ethics. She has done field work in East Africa, India, Myanmar, China, and South Korea.

Francesca holds a M.S. in Business and Development Studies from Copenhagen Business School and a BA in Political Science and International Relations from LUISS University Rome. She speaks Danish, English, and Italian.

Recent Insights From Francesca Manta

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Roger McElrath

Associate Director, Human Rights

San Francisco

Associate Director, Human Rights, BSR

San Francisco

Working with companies in the food and agriculture and oil industries, Roger advises on sustainability policies and programs in the areas of supply chain management, community development, stakeholder relations, reporting, and strategy.

He has worked with Tate & Lyle on code of conducts, Archer Daniels Midland on CSR strategy and supply chain management, and Threemile Canyon Farms on developing a sustainability vision and metrics.

Prior to joining BSR, Roger worked for the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, doing research and consulting on international and domestic labor issues for multinational corporations.

Roger holds an M.S. in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Recent Insights From Roger McElrath

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Kayla Winarsky McKenzie

Associate Director, Human Rights

New York

Associate Director, Human Rights, BSR

New York

Kayla collaborates with BSR member companies on projects centering on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, focusing on companies within the consumer sectors industry cluster. Her areas of expertise include energy transition, anti-corruption, and gender.

Prior to joining BSR, Kayla spent several years advising multinational companies and investors on human rights as an Adviser at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, during which she also served as a Lecturer in Law at the University of Amsterdam, focusing on Business and Human Rights (BHR), international human rights, anti-corruption, and EU law. Previously, she worked on global anti-corruption investigations and cross-border white collar litigations as an Associate Attorney at the international law firm King & Spalding LLP, where she was the founding member of the firm's BHR initiative.

Kayla holds a JD and a Certificate in Global Human Rights from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, which included course work at the Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement, and a BA, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude from Tulane University.

Recent Insights From Kayla Winarsky McKenzie

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Paloma Muñoz Quick

Director, Human Rights Standards

New York

Director, Human Rights Standards, BSR

New York

Paloma leads BSR’s work on Human Rights Standards, including knowledge management and advising companies across industries on human rights and responding to emerging standards and regulation. She is also Senior Advisor to BSR’s Finance & Human Rights Practice.

Prior to joining BSR, Paloma was Advisor to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights and Senior Consultant of the UN B-Tech Project, where she developed an ambitious vision for promoting the uptake of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights among investors and developed guidance on responsible investment in digital technologies. Prior to the UN, Paloma launched and served as Director of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, where she developed thought leadership on the investor responsibility to respect human rights and supported stewardship engagements across industries. She also worked as Senior Advisor at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, where she advised companies, governments, and civil society around the world on business and human rights.

Paloma is on the Editorial Board of Developments in the Field of the Business and Human Rights Journal of Cambridge University. She was also Design Team Member of the Human Rights Measurement Initiative and served as Advisory Board Member for First Peoples Worldwide.

She holds a Master of International Affairs (M.I.A.) in Human Rights from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a B.A. in Political Science, also from Columbia University.

Paloma is Chilean-American and is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Recent Insights From Paloma Muñoz Quick

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Roberta Pinamonti

Associate Director

Singapore

Associate Director, BSR

Singapore

With more than 14 years of experience in the field of sustainability, Roberta supports companies in translating social and human rights expectations into management practices. In particular, she focuses on supporting companies in the energy and utilities sectors in navigating regulatory trends as well as investor and other stakeholder expectations when it comes to human rights management. She is passionate about renewable energy and leads BSR's work in renewable energy and human rights.

She has experience with human rights due diligence and impact assessments, code of practice and policy development, sustainability strategy and integration, sustainability reporting, and materiality assessments.

Prior to joining BSR, Roberta spent six years with Enel, a multinational electric utilities company, as a CSR specialist. She managed projects across various countries, particularly in Latin America, focusing primarily on integrating sustainability into business operations and developing the company's human rights approach.

Roberta holds a MA in Economics and CSR and a BA in Economics and Social Sciences from the University of Trento in Italy. An Italian native speaker, Roberta also speaks English, Spanish, and French fluently.

Recent Insights From Roberta Pinamonti

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Lale Tekişalp

Associate Director, Technology Sectors

San Francisco

Associate Director, Technology Sectors, BSR

San Francisco

Lale works with BSR member companies across industries to incorporate human rights into business operations and strategy. She focuses on the intersection of human rights and technology, and she leads the Tech Against Trafficking collaborative initiative.

Prior to BSR, Lale worked with the Partnership on AI to help build its AI for Social Good strategy. Previously, she held several different marketing roles at Microsoft, where she played a key role in establishing the company's cloud business across Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa.

Lale holds a MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, where she focused on responsible business and social sector leadership. She received a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Recent Insights From Lale Tekişalp

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Jenny Vaughan

Managing Director, Human Rights

San Francisco

Managing Director, Human Rights, BSR

San Francisco

Jenny leads BSR’s human rights team and portfolio across consulting and collaboration. In addition to directing BSR’s Human Rights Working Group, Jenny leads human rights assessments and partners with companies to develop human rights strategies and stakeholder engagement plans. She works across industries with a focus on energy, technology, and conflict-affected and high-risk contexts.

Prior to joining BSR, Jenny worked at Mercy Corps for over a decade in field management and advisory roles to prevent and mitigate conflict, promote inclusive economic development, and build civil society capacity. As the organization’s first Peace and Governance Director in Myanmar and later as the Director of the Peace and Conflict technical advisory team, she designed and implemented programs to reduce violence, promote peace and development, and address critical and emerging threats like climate change, disruptive technology, and poor governance. She has experience in context analysis, stakeholder engagement, negotiation, project design and implementation, and strategic planning. Jenny has lived and worked in countries including Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Central African Republic, and Cameroon.

Jenny holds a MA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Recent Insights From Jenny Vaughan

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Richard Wingfield

Director, Technology Sectors

London

Director, Technology Sectors, BSR

London

Richard works with tech companies—particularly those based in or with operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa—to build human rights considerations and practices into their products, services, and policies. He brings a strong understanding of international human rights law and standards and how to translate the corporate responsibility to respect human rights into practice for companies of different sizes and sectors.

Prior to joining BSR, Richard led the legal and policy team at Global Partners Digital, an international human rights organization focused on the impacts of digital technologies on human rights. He is also a trustee of the Kaleidoscope Trust, a UK-based charity that campaigns for the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people in countries where they are discriminated.

Richard holds a LLB in Law and European Law from the University of Nottingham and is a qualified lawyer in England and Wales.

Recent Insights From Richard Wingfield

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