• Written by Chris Marsden, Patron, IHRB; former Head of Community Affairs, BP

IHRB Patron Chris Marsden's varied career brought him to the forefront of the business and human rights agenda when still in its infancy. 

With beginnings as a school teacher, Marsden went on to work in education and community affairs roles with the oil company, BP, throughout the 1980's and 90's, before providing invaluable and pioneering facilitation over the next two decades to form some of the earliest business and human rights thought leadership groups, including the Amnesty Business Group, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, as well as the Institute for Human Rights and Business.

Marsden's memoirs provide a unique historical perspective on the early years of the business and human rights agenda. As he notes: 

"I have entitled my memoirs ‘Bridging Boundaries’. If there is one theme that connects my varied career it is that I have worked at the boundary between education, local communities, and industry. Over the years, my mission became one of helping organisations with very different cultures and perspectives on the world to understand each other better and work together for mutual benefit to themselves and the wider society."

Latest IHRB Publications

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As 2024 began, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aptly summed up our deeply worrying collective moment. As she put it, speaking at the annual World Economic Forum in Switzerland, we are moving through “an era of conflict and...

Bulldozer Injustice: how a company’s product is being used to violate rights in India

Bulldozers have been linked to human rights violations for many years, at least since 2003 when the US activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by a Caterpillar bulldozer while protesting against the demolition of a Palestinian home with a family...

The state of just transitions in the cocoa sector

The mounting impacts of the climate crisis are seen starkly in the lives of agricultural workers, most often in developing countries. Discussions around just transitions understandably focus on energy, but agriculture and deforestation are also huge...

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