Human Rights | Focus Areas | Sustainable Business Network and Consultancy

Around the world, societal inequality, conflict, shrinking civic space, political polarization, and intensifying climate change threaten the human rights of all, with disproportionate impacts on society’s most vulnerable groups.

Against this backdrop, businesses face shifting investor expectations and a rapidly changing regulatory landscape, including human rights due diligence and reporting requirements that seek to ensure that human rights throughout global value chains are respected.

We are business and human rights experts who support companies to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and other responsible business conduct frameworks. Effective management of human rights issues involves internal policy coherence, robust governance and oversight, ongoing human rights due diligence, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and 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 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 harm.

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

Human rights policies and governance

Human rights assessments, strategy and implementation

Human rights disclosure and stakeholder engagement

Access to remedy and effective grievance mechanisms

Tools and guidance for an integrated approach to CSRD, CSDDD, and other relevant regulations

Supplier code of conduct, risk assessments, reporting to eliminate forced labor, human trafficking

Responsible use of AI

Who We Work With

See All Members

Case Studies

Updating Scotiabank’s Human Rights Strategy

BSR worked with the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) to refresh its Human Rights Assessment (HRA) and update its Human Rights Statement.

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Sustainability Insights

Insights+

Sustainable Business in Context: US Politics and Global Impacts

The US elections will have profound implications for the global economy, and sustainable business. The question facing us now is: how can sustainable business leaders continue to make important progress in this new environment?

Primers

Top 10 Human Rights Priorities for the Automotive Sector

Blog

Adequate Wages vs. Living Wages: Implementation Guidance for Companies

Insights+

The CSDDD: Compliance Meets Sustainability Ambitions

Primers

Human Rights Industry Primers

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Tools and Resources

Human Rights Resources

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

Human Rights Policy Review Tool

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BSR Members Only

Forced Military Conscription in Myanmar

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BSR Members Only

BSR Member Briefing on the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

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BSR Members Only

Modern Slavery Member Briefing

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BSR Members Only

See all Tools and Resources

BSR Members Only

Collaboration

Collective Solutions for Meaningful Impact

Our collaborative initiatives 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 human rights-aligned business strategies and solutions.

Dunstan Allison-Hope

Senior Advisor

San Francisco

Senior Advisor, BSR

San Francisco

Dunstan leads BSR’s work at the intersection of technology and human rights.

Previously, Dunstan led BSR’s information and communications technology, heavy manufacturing, and human rights teams.

He brings significant experience working on a diverse range of engagements and issues, including human rights due diligence, privacy and freedom of expression, sustainability reporting and strategy, and stakeholder engagement.

Dunstan facilitated the multistakeholder process of developing global principles on freedom of expression and privacy, which led to the launch of the Global Network Initiative in October 2008. He also helped create the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, a collaborative initiative of more than 100 ICT companies improving conditions in their supply chains. Dunstan participated in the process of creating the Global Reporting Initiative G3 guidelines, and he is a regular commentator on issues of corporate accountability, reporting, and human rights. He also co-authored the 2010 book Big Business, Big Responsibilities.

Prior to joining BSR in 2004, Dunstan was part of British Telecommunications' corporate responsibility team.

Dunstan has an M.Prof. in Sustainable Development from Forum for the Future.

Recent Insights From Dunstan Allison-Hope

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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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Ouida Chichester

Director, Energy, Extractives, Transport, and Industrials

San Francisco

Director, Energy, Extractives, Transport, and Industrials, BSR

San Francisco

Ouida leads BSR’s Energy and Extractives practice. She applies her experience in international development to her work at BSR, where she advises global corporations across industries, but particularly extractives companies, on human rights; sustainable communities; inclusive economy; diversity, equity and inclusion; and women’s empowerment.

She also previously supported BSR's HERproject.

Prior to joining BSR, Ouida worked with the United Nations Development Programme in Belize, where she developed and contributed to projects on water governance, gender equality, and disability rights. She also has worked at Community Partners International, a nonprofit dedicated to the well-being of the people of Myanmar. Ouida helped build New Global Citizens, an organization dedicated to engaging U.S. youth in global philanthropy and activism. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, she worked closely with youth, women, and grassroots organizations. She is fluent in Spanish.

As a Rotary World Peace Fellow, Ouida obtained an M.A. in International Relations from the Universidad del Salvador. She also holds a B.A. in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College.

Recent Insights From Ouida Chichester

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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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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 standard-setting, knowledge management, and helping companies respond 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 a vision for promoting the uptake of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights among investors and guidance on responsible investment in digital technologies. Prior to the UN, Paloma launched and led 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 at the Danish Institute for Human Rights advising companies, governments, and civil society on business and human rights.

Paloma is a member of the US government’s Advisory Committee on Responsible Business Conduct. She sits on the Editorial Board of Developments in the Field of the Business and Human Rights Journal of Cambridge University.

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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Let’s talk about how BSR can help you to transform your business and achieve your sustainability goals.

FeaturedInsights

200+

50M

87%

How We Can Help

Adding Value to Your Business and Society

Who We Work With

Case Studies

Updating Scotiabank’s Human Rights Strategy

Sustainability Insights

Tools and Resources

Human Rights Resources

Collaboration

Collective Solutions for Meaningful Impact

Our Experts

Depth of Experience and Knowledge

Senior Advisor

Associate Director, Human Rights

Director, Energy, Extractives, Transport, and Industrials

Director, Technology and Human Rights

Global Lead, Human Trafficking and Forced Labor

Director, Human Rights

Associate Director, Human Rights

Director, Human Rights Standards

Associate Director

Associate Director, Technology Sectors

Managing Director, Human Rights

Director, Technology Sectors

Featured
Insights