Speakers

Pascale Baeriswyl

State Secretary, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Pascale Baeriswyl was born on 4 April 1968 in Bern and grew up in Basel. She studied in Basel, Geneva and Paris, graduating from the University of Basel with a master's degree in private and public law (specialising in European Law) and a second master's degree in history, French literature and linguistics. As a researcher she contributed to a study on domestic violence and
headed the office against domestic violence Halt-Gewalt where she also worked as legal adviser.

She was a judge at the Civil Court of the Canton of Basel-Stadt for several years. Pascale Baeriswyl joined Switzerland's diplomatic service in 2000. After completing her diplomatic service internship in the Directorate of International Law and at the Swiss embassy in Hanoi, she worked as deputy head of the Human Rights Policy Section for the Asia-Pacific region in the Human Security Division. From 2005 to 2008, she was responsible for foreign and security policy matters at the Swiss mission to the European Union in Brussels. From 2008 to 2013, she headed the political team of the Swiss mission to the United Nations in New York. She returned to the Directorate of International Law in 2013 as the head of the Task Force Asset Recovery and later took over the International Law and Treaties section as assistant director with the title of ambassador.
On 30 September 2016, the Federal Council appointed Pascale Baeriswyl as State Secretary of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. She took up her post on 1 December 2016.

Pascale Baeriswyl is married and has two children.

Mary Robinson

Chair, Mega-Sporting Events Platform for Human Rights

Mary Robinson, the first woman President of Ireland (1990-1997), former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), and founder and President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative (2002-2010), has spent most of her life as a human rights advocate.

The recipient of numerous honours and awards throughout the world including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, Mary Robinson is a member of The Elders, former Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders and a member of the Club of Madrid.

Mary Robinson now serves as President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice. She is the founding Chair and now Patron of the Institute for Human Rights and Business. She currently serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee of the Mega-Sporting Events Platform for Human Rights.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein assumed his functions as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 1 September 2014, following the General Assembly’s approval on 16 June 2014 of his appointment by the United Nations Secretary-General. He is the sixth High Commissioner to lead the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the first Asian, Muslim and Arab to do so.

A veteran multilateral diplomat, Zeid was previously Jordan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, a post he held from September 2010 until July 2014, and which he also held from 2000 to 2007. From 2007 to 2010 he was Jordan’s Ambassador to the United States of America. He served as Jordan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, with the rank of Ambassador, from 1996 to 2000. In January 2014, he was President of the UN Security Council and chaired the Security Council’s 1533 and 1521 committees with regard to two sanctions regimes regarding the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia.

Zeid’s professional experience demonstrates his long familiarity with international criminal justice, international law, UN peacekeeping, post-conflict peace-building, international development, and counter- nuclear terrorism. He played a central role in the establishment of the International Criminal Court, chairing the complex negotiations regarding the elements of individual offences amounting to genocide; crimes against humanity; and war crimes. Courts around the world now cite as authoritative the definition for ‘crimes against humanity’ refined by the ‘elements’.

In September 2002, Zeid was elected the first President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. At that time, the Court was only a plan on paper, and over the next three years he oversaw the election of the first 18 judges, mediated selection of the Court’s first president, and led efforts to name the Court’s first prosecutor – laying out a functioning institution, despite considerable budgetary pressures and criticism of the Court from several leading nations.

Subsequently, in 2009, he was asked to chair the closing stages of the intricate negotiations over the crime of aggression -- identified by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremburg as that "supreme international crime" – specifically with respect to its legal definition and the conditions for the court’s exercise of jurisdiction over it. Those negotiations ended successfully and with consensus in Kampala, Uganda, in June 2010.

In 2004, Zeid was appointed by his government as Jordan’s representative, and head of delegation, before the International Court of Justice in the matter relating to the wall being built by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He also represented Jordan before the International Court of Justice in December 2009 in the advisory proceedings relating to Kosovo's declaration of independence.

Zeid also represented Jordan on Nuclear Security following the Washington Summit on Nuclear Security, convened in April 2010, which kicked off a concerted international effort to blunt the threat of nuclear terrorism. In this context, he spearheaded work on one of the main pillars of the summit: the establishment of counter nuclear-smuggling teams.

Zeid’s knowledge of peacekeeping is extensive. He served as a political affairs officer in UNPROFOR, in the former Yugoslavia, from February 1994 to February 1996. In 2004, following allegations of widespread abuse being committed by UN peacekeepers, he was named Advisor to the Secretary-General on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. His report, produced in 2005, provided, for the first time, a comprehensive strategy for the elimination of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in UN Peacekeeping Operations, and has been called “revolutionary” by experts. In 2012, Zeid was chosen by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as one of five experts to serve on his “Senior Advisory Group” regarding reimbursements to countries contributing peacekeeping troops.

He also chaired the Consultative Committee for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and led an effort to establish greater strategic direction for the Fund (2004-2007). He recently pledged to be a Geneva Gender Champion, committing to advance gender equality in OHCHR and in international fora.

Zeid holds a Bachelor of Arts from The Johns Hopkins University and a Doctorate in Philosophy from Cambridge University (Christ’s College). On 14 June 2008, he was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the Southern California Institute of Law for his work on international justice. In 1989, he also received his commission as an officer in the Jordanian desert police (the successor to the Arab Legion) and saw service with them until 1994.

Zeid has been a member of the advisory committee to “The Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation” based in The Hague. He further served on the international advisory councils of “The Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation”; the “International Peace Institute” and “The Security Council Report”. He has been an honorary member of the advisory board of “The Center for Global Affairs” at New York University; a member of the international advisory board of “The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life” at Brandeis University; and a member of the Advisory Board for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. He also served as a member of the World Bank's Advisory Council for the World Development Report 2011.

He is married to Princess Sarah Zeid, and they have two daughters and a son.

Guy Ryder

Director-General, International Labour Organization (ILO)

Born in Liverpool (UK) in 1956, Guy Ryder studied Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Latin American Studies at the University of Liverpool.

Guy Ryder first joined the International Labour Organization in 1998 as Director of the Bureau for Workers’ Activities and, from 1999, as Director of the Office of the Director-General. In 2002, he was appointed General Secretary of the ICFTU, leading the process of global unification of the democratic international trade union movement. He was elected as first General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) when it was created in 2006.

In September 2010, Guy Ryder came back to the ILO in Geneva as Executive Director, responsible for international labour standards and fundamental principles and rights at work. Guy Ryder was elected as ILO Director-General by the ILO's Governing Body in May 2012 and took office on 1 October 2012. He was re-elected as ILO Director-General by the ILO's Governing Body on 7 November 2016.

Thomas Bach

President, International Olympic Committee (IOC)

Thomas Bach is the ninth and current president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Born in Germany, Bach is a former fencer and won a gold medal in team foil for West Germany at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Before running for the IOC presidency, Bach was the president of the Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund (German Olympic Sports Confederation) and is still a member of its executive board. Bach was elected in 2013 at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires to serve an eight year term as IOC president. Bach’s initiatives as president include sustainable development through sport and changing the Olympic bidding process. He studied at the University of Wurzburg and is a lawyer by profession.

He has chaired several commissions, including the Evaluation for the XIX Olympic Winter Games, Evaluation for the Games of XXVIII Olympiad, Juridical, Sport and Law, TV Rights and New Media.  He has served on numerous other commissions, and he is Chair of the board of directors of the Olympic Channel Services S.A., Switzerland.

He has written various publications on law, economics, and sports. Thomas was the Olympic and World champion in fencing, men’s foil team in 1976, he also won numerous national championship titles.

Adolf Ogi

Former Swiss President; Ambassador L'Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport

Adolf Ogi was Switzerland’s Federal President from 1993 until 2000.  He was elected to the Swiss House of Representatives in 1979, and during his time in parliament, he was a member of the House of Representatives’ former military committee, and the head of the former Federal Department for Transport and Energy (today’s DETEC), and the Federal Department for Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS).

From 2001 until 2007, Adolf Ogi was Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Special Advisor to UN General Secretaries Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon for sport in the service of development and peace.

Adolf Ogi has been active in numerous other capacities, including being honorary president of the Swiss Olympic Association, president of the Stockalperturm Gondo Foundation, and chairman of the Advisory Board of the Swiss Economic Forum. Between 2001 and 2006, he was a board member of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in Geneva, and chairman of the Schweizer Berghilfe Foundation. He is honorary chairman of the Geneva Security Forums and an honorary member of Green Cross International. He is honorary president of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and the Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF).  He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Robert Kennedy Foundation for Human Rights.

Hassan Al Thawadi

Secretary General, Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy

Hassan Al Thawadi is the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organisation responsible for coordinating amongst public and private entities to ensure that infrastructure and development projects are delivered in readiness for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His appointment in March 2011 as Secretary General followed on from his role as Chief Executive Officer in Qatar’s 2022 Bid Committee, in which he worked closely with Bid Chairman, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, promoting Qatar’s ultimately successful attempt to bring the FIFA World Cup to the Middle East for the first time. In addition to this, he also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed Local Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup in 2022, responsible for organising and staging the event.

A lawyer by profession, Al Thawadi previously served as General Counsel for Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Qatar Holding, entities founded by the State of Qatar in 2005 to strengthen the national economy by diversifying into new asset classes and growing Qatar’s long-term strategic investments. He maintains a role at QIA as Legal Advisor to the CEO. Al Thawadi holds board positions at key national stakeholders of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy concerned with delivering the 2022 FIFA World Cup including Katara Hospitality (previously known as Qatar National Hotels – a hospitality owner, manager and developer) and Qatari Diar (established in 2005 and entrusted to support Qatar’s growing economy through coordination of the country’s real estate development priorities). He also holds roles on various boards and committees at Qatar University (College of Business and Economics), Qatar Chamber for Commerce and Industry, Qatar International Islamic Bank, Msheireb Properties and Hassad Foods. In 2013, he was appointed to FIFA’s World Cup Organising Committee (the committee responsible for all matters pertaining to the FIFA World Cup) as Special Advisor. Al Thawadi is a graduate in Law from the University of Sheffield and speaks four languages.

Lola Young

Peer, UK House of Lords

After acting in theatre and television, Lola Young became professor of Cultural Studies at Middlesex University, building a reputation as an academic,  a writer, cultural critic, public speaker and broadcaster.

Lola Young was appointed as Head of Culture at the Greater London Authority (2002), and has sat on the Boards of many organisations including the Southbank Centre; Middlesex University; Royal National Theatre; The National Archives; Somerset House; Historic England.

Having received an OBE in 2001, Lola went on to become an independent Crossbench member of the House of Lords in 2004, where she is actively involved in legislation and other areas of parliamentary life. She has chaired and served on a number of select committees relating to human rights, and to the EU.

She has been a judge for The Observer newspaper Ethical Awards and served on a wide range of arts/culture/design judging panels. 

As an Ambassador for Cotton Made in Africa, the Ethical Fashion Forum and MADE-BY, Baroness Young promotes ethical, sustainable fashion and is the founding Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion. Baroness Young holds several honorary doctorates and was the 2017 Chair of the Man Booker Prize judging panel. Her Private Members’ Bill aims to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act (2015) provisions on Transparency in Supply Chains, and is currently progressing through parliament.

Louise Martin

President, Commonwealth Games Federation; Chair, Commonwealth Advisory Board on Sport

Louise Martin is President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, elected at the General Assembly in Auckland, New Zealand in September 2015 and the first female to hold this office in the history of the Commonwealth Sports Movement. She has a long and distinguished association with the Games as an Athlete, Team Manager, Administrator and Honorary Secretary and was the first female elected to the CGF Executive Board. She played a lead role in bringing the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow during the Bid, served as Vice Chair of the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee, and was formerly chair of SportScotland from 2008 to 2015 and Commonwealth Games Scotland from 1999 until 2007. In 2008, she joined the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport, which she has chaired for the past four years and is currently in her second term. In 2003 Louise was awarded the CBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to the Commonwealth Games.

Donald Fehr

President, World Players Association

Donald Fehr is the Executive Director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), a position he held since 2010.  Since joining the NHLPA, Don has focused his efforts on building active participation by players in their union, and has travelled extensively to meet and consult with players around the league.

Prior to joining the NHLPA, Mr. Fehr spent 33 years with the Major League Baseball Players Association – the last 26 as Executive Director.  Mr. Fehr brought the same goals to the NHLPA that he maintained with the MLBPA by keeping the players involved and informed and developing a strong consensus on all important issues. In 2012/13 he kept his constituents united in negotiating through the 113-day NHL Owners’ lockout. Over his time with the MLBPA, Fehr successfully maintained unity through one lockout and two strikes; litigated the collusion cases of the 1980s which led to the owners paying $280 million in damages to the players; won the bad-faith bargaining case that ended the 1994-95 strike and subsequently negotiated an agreement and negotiated new agreements with MLB in 2002 and 2006. These achievements resulted in an extended era of uninterrupted play and new levels of stability in baseball labour relations.

He was elected as the first President of UNI World Athletes at the inaugural world assembly of the world’s player associations held in Cape Town in December 2014.

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir

Former NCAA Division 1 basketball player

From a young age, Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir knew she wanted basketball to be a part of her life. After first picking up a ball at the age of four at a local YMCA, Bilqis’ love for the game grew. Growing up in a practicing Muslim household, Bilqis was to follow her religious beliefs as she grew older. She began wearing a hijab, a traditional head covering for Muslim women, and practiced modesty on the court by covering all skin except her hands. Bilqis set the Massachusetts state record for both boys and girls, with 3,070 points scored – breaking Connecticut and WNBA star Rebecca Lobo’s previous state record of 2,740. She was also named the state’s 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American nominee. Her skills transitioned into a full ride scholarship to the University of Memphis where she played four years (2009-13) and graduated with magna cum laude with a degree in exercise science. During her freshman year at Memphis, she was invited to the White House for Ramadan feast and was acknowledged by President Barack Obama for being the first Muslim woman to play covered in collegiate basketball.

Bilqis' hopes to continue playing professionally were quickly diminished when she was informed of the rule from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) that prohibits head gear larger than five inches. After finishing her master’s degree in May 2015 at Indiana State, Bilqis looks to continue inspiring young Muslim women through sport. She is currently the Athletic Director and Physical Educator at Pleasant View School in Memphis, TN, and a motivational speaker.

Federico Addiechi

Director of Sustainability, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)

Federico Addiechi is responsible for sustainability and diversity at FIFA and reports to the Secretary General.

Federico worked in various capacities in the sports industry before joining FIFA in 2003, to take charge of the CSR and humanitarian activities of world football’s governing body and of its relationship with the United Nations system and non-governmental organisations.

In his role as the Head of Sustainability, Federico has initiated and implemented programmes to address, amongst others, social development through football, child labour, human rights, labour rights, climate protection, waste management, accessibility for fans, discrimination and green stadiums. He has also contributed to the strengthening of FIFA’s management system through the integration of sustainability standards, policies and reporting frameworks for FIFA and the FIFA World Cups.

As a former professional volleyball player (Argentinian National Team; Italian and Swiss leagues) and through his current role as Board Member of the Swiss Volleyball Federation, he has intimate knowledge of the world of sports administration and competition management as an athlete, manager and official.

Federico is an Argentinian, Italian and Swiss citizen. He has undergraduate studies in Engineering at University of Mar del Plata, Argentina, and Human Sciences and Philology at University of Catania, Italy. He holds an Executive MBA from University of Dallas, USA, and completed the Executive Programme on Corporate Social Responsibility at Harvard Business School, USA.

Federico speaks Spanish, English, Italian, French, German and Portuguese and is lecturer on sustainability and sport at numerous courses, conferences and seminars worldwide, as well as at the CIES post-graduate studies.

Gigi Alford

Head of Sport and Human Rights, UNI Global Union's World Players Association

Ginous “Gigi” Alford leads the Sport and Human Rights strategy at UNI Global Union’s World Players Association, currently housed with the NFL Players Association in Washington, D.C. She also coordinates the Sport & Rights Alliance, a global coalition of leading NGOs, sports organizations, and trade unions. Previously, Ms. Alford served as Special Advisor for Internet Freedom and Business and Human Rights in the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, where she facilitated the first Sporting Chance Forum.  She has also worked at Freedom House, with Baha’i International Community offices in Haifa, Israel, and Washington, D.C., and as a sports reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle and San Diego Union-Tribune. Gigi has a Master’s in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University and is a former Knight Foundation Fellow. Fluent in Spanish and beginner Farsi-speaker, she has a B.A. from Loyola University in New Orleans and serves as board member at-large of the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington. She’s relocating to Nyon, Switzerland in January 2018.

Lucy Amis

Rights and Sport Specialist, Unicef UK

Lucy Amis is the Rights and Sport Specialist at Unicef UK, where she is advising the Commonwealth Games Federation on its human and child rights approach, lending capacity on rights issues to the Organising Committees of Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games 2017-2022, advising sports bodies and supporting the Taskforces of the MSE Platform on Human Rights.

Lucy was Research Fellow (Mega Sporting Events) with the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) from 2012-2016. She authored the Sporting Chance Forum: Collective Action on Mega-Sporting Events and Human Rights Meeting Report (December 2016) and Wilton Park Report: Human Rights and Mega-Sporting Events (December 2016) and was principal author of Striving for Excellence – Mega-Sporting Events and Human Rights (2013). Lucy oversaw the White Papers series on MSEs and human rights first released at the Sporting Chance Forum in Washington DC in October 2016, played a central role in the development of the Sporting Chance Principles, had a key part in IHRB’s efforts to facilitate the multi-stakeholder process chaired by Mary Robinson, known as the MSE Platform for Human Rights. Lucy advised the Organising Committees for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, and Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics on human rights. Previously Lucy led IBLF’s Business and Human Rights Programme for almost a decade. She has Masters degree from the London School of Economics. 

Bill Anderson

Vice President, Social and Environmental Affairs, Asia Pacific, adidas Group

William is a human rights practitioner with 32 years’ experience in managing social and environmental issues. He has worked as an advisor both to governments and business. Over the past 19 years he has been deeply involved in corporate social responsibility, in particular the development of social compliance and labour rights monitoring, sustainability initiatives, business & human rights due diligence, as well as stakeholder outreach. He is the adidas Group’s public spokesperson for social and environmental affairs in Asia and speaks regularly on panels as a human rights and social compliance expert.

Bakary Bamba Junior

Counsellor for Peace, Security and Human Rights, Permanent Representation of the International Organization of La Francophonie at the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva

Graduated from the University of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Public Law and a Master's degree in Business Law, Bakary Junior Bamba started his career as first clerk of Notary in Abidjan, then as a consultant in law business and IT law.

In 2006, he obtained a DEA (LL.M) in European Law and International Economic Law from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and was recruited in 2007 by the Permanent Mission of Côte d'Ivoire to the United Nations in Geneva as Côte d'Ivoire expert in charge of the Human Rights Council and UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), with the role of technically supporting diplomats coming from the capital in matters related to Human Rights and Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

In 2012, he joined the International Organization of La Francophonie as Counsellor for Peace, Security and Human Rights at the Permanent Representation of the International Organization of la Francophonie at the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva.

Bakary Bamba is also a poet-novelist writer.

Guido Battaglia

Project Officer, Mega-Sporting Events, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)

Guido works with IHRB across the Commodities and Mega-Sporting Events focus areas. He supports IHRB with research and stakeholder management on a project to develop a due diligence guidance for implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the commodity-trading sector. He contributes to the Mega Sporting Events Platform by coordinating the outreach to multiple stakeholders and by conducting research on the topic of sport, development and peace.

Guido was formerly Director at the World Gold Council, where he managed the programme on responsible mining and socio-economic development. Prior to that he held manager positions at the World Economic Forum (WEF) - engaging business and government leaders, faculty experts, international organisations and civil society in two initiatives addressing responsible mineral resources management and infrastructure development in the African continent. At WEF he designed and facilitated high-level roundtables at the Annual Meeting in Davos and at other events worldwide. Guido also worked for the Law Firm DLA Piper and for the Italian Mission to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva. An Italian and Swiss citizen, Guido was a visiting student at the University of Tuebingen and holds a Bachelor and Master in International Law from the University of Milan.

Giovanni di Cola

Special Adviser to Multilaterals, International Labour Organization (ILO)

A citizen of Italy, Giovanni Di Cola studied in Rome and Paris, earning a Laurea Cum Laude, four-year Bachelor’s degree in International relations from the University of Rome La Sapienza, a Master’s degree (DEA) from Sciences Politiques (Science-Po) Paris in Soviet Studies, and a PhD in Development Economics from the University of Paris-Ouest (France). Giovanni has served in four UN agencies (UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, and ILO) with assignments at the UN Secretariat to implement the UN Reform. He undertook field assignments in Africa, Latin America and in the Caribbean in national (UNICEF), sub-regional (ILO) and regional offices (with UNFPA-UNESCO and ILO both in Africa and Latin America. His most recent field position was in Trinidad and Tobago as Director of the ILO Office and Decent Work Team covering the Caribbean region. Throughout he has worked on strategic programming, resource mobilization, gender, technical cooperation, partnerships and management. He represented the ILO in the UN Task Force, contributed to the UN SG Report on Sport for Development and Peace and assisted the UN Special Adviser on engaging the world of sport and UN Agencies. He created a network of universities around local economic development as part an ILO inter-regional programme (Universitas) of which he was coordinator between 2001 and 2009 and which built partnerships across local and national training institutions, universities and international organizations, and sport partners. In April 2015, he was appointed Special Adviser on Multilateral affairs in the Office of the Deputy Director General for Field Operations and Partnerships at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva dealing with matters related to Climate change, Sustainable Development Goals and to Mega Sporting Events and Decent Work. He has published books and articles particularly on skills for employability through and in sport and has provided advice to Sport Federations on matter of development cooperation, common frameworks and sustainability, over the years.

Rachel Davis

Managing Director, Shift

As the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Shift, Rachel manages the implementation of our strategy and oversees our day-to-day engagements with companies, governments, civil society and other partners. With over a decade of experience in developing and implementing the Guiding Principles, Rachel frequently speaks at and facilitates events on business and human rights with diverse and senior audiences. She leads our collaborations with financial institutions and sport associations.

Prior to co-founding Shift, Rachel was a senior legal advisor from 2006-2011 for the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on business and human rights John Ruggie. She played a pivotal role in the development of the Guiding Principles, advising on all aspects of the relationship between the Guiding Principles and national and international law.

Rachel Denber

Deputy Director for Europe & Central Asia, Human Rights Watch

Rachel Denber, Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division, specializes in countries of the former Soviet Union. Previously, Denber directed Human Rights Watch's Moscow office and did field research and advocacy in Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. She has authored reports on a wide range of human rights issues throughout the region. Denber earned a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in international relations and a master's degree in political science from Columbia University, where she studied at the Harriman Institute. She speaks Russian and French.

Rik Desmet

Representative, Building and Woodworkers International

Rik Desmet is representing - on a special envoy - the BWI (building and woodworkers international). As a former national trade union secretary for the construction and wood industry in Belgium, Rik participated in many sports campaigns with the BWI in South Africa, Brazil, Eastern Europe and visited several times the World Cup 2020 football venues in Qatar. He has more than 25 years of experience in international trade union actions and solidarity projects.

Moya Dodd

Creator of women in football movement; Member of Council of Arbitration for Sport; former FIFA Committee Member; Partner, Gilbert + Tobin

A former Australian National Team midfielder, Moya has been an advocate for the women’s game for nearly 30 years. From 2013 to 2017 she sat on the Executive Committee of The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA); she is currently a member of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport. Moya also serves on the Executive Committee of the the Asian Football Confederation and is a Director of Football Federation Australia. Moya was previously an Australian team representative with the Matildas.

Moya is also a partner in Gilbert + Tobin's Competition + Regulation group, specialising in telecommunications, online businesses and converging media.She has extensive experience providing legal / regulatory advice, and well as economic and business analysis.

Kathryn Dovey

Manager, NCP Coordination, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Kathryn Dovey is the manager for National Contact Point (NCP) coordination at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. NCPs are an OECD mechanism intended to further the effectiveness of OECD's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises by undertaking promotional activities, handling enquiries, and contributing to the resolution of issues that arise from the alleged non-observance of the Guidelines in specific instances. Civil society groups and trade unions have often resorted to the OECD mechanism to file complaints against companies which they argue have not observed the Guidelines. 

Dovey was earlier tax policy analyst at OECD, and before that, director at the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights. She has also been a research fellow on gender issues at IHRB. 

Oliver Dudfield

Head of Sport for Development and Peace, Commonwealth Secretariat

Oliver Dudfield is the Head of Sport for Development and Peace at the Commonwealth Secretariat, the intergovernmental agency that provides policy guidance, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. The Sport for Development and Peace Section supports Commonwealth countries to strengthen policy and strategy aimed at promoting and protecting the contribution of sport to sustainable development. Over his career Oliver has worked with multiple UN and intergovernmental agencies, national governments, NGOs and sporting organisations on Sport for Development and Peace policy design, strategy and partnership projects. Prior to joining the Commonwealth Secretariat, he was the General Manager at Vicsport, the leading body for sport and active recreation in Victoria, Australia and was previously the International Development Manager at UK Sport. He started his career as a basketball coach, working in the national systems in Australia and New Zealand.

Rebecca Lowell Edwards

Strategic Communications Director, International Olympic Committee (IOC)

Becky Edwards joined the IOC as Strategic Communications Director in April 2017.  Raised in Barnstable, Massachusetts, she began her career at Dow Jones News Service and was promoted to a reporting job at The Wall Street Journal, before receiving a master’s degree in business administration and becoming a marketing executive at the Journal. She later worked at Ruder Finn, the New York PR firm, rising to Group Senior Vice President. Her non-profit roles include work for the Wallace Foundation, an educational foundation. Mrs Edwards received an undergraduate degree in foreign service from Georgetown University.

From 2010 to 2017, she worked for General Electric, where she began her time as Global Director of Employee Communications, before moving to GE Oil & Gas in London as the Chief Communications Officer in 2013.

Andres Franco

Deputy Director for Private Sector Engagement, UNICEF

Andrés Franco has been UNICEF’s Deputy Director for Private Sector Engagement in the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division since July 2014. In UNICEF, he served as Representative in Argentina (2009-2014), Regional Manager, Partnerships and Fundraising, Latin America and the Caribbean (2006-2009) and Representative in Peru (2003-2006). His main contributions have been in the promotion of the rights of indigenous children, sports and development, and corporate engagement for the most disadvantaged children of the region. 

Before joining UNICEF, Andrés was Deputy Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations. 

He was elected President of UNICEF’s Executive Board in 2002 and was Colombia’s Political Coordinator in the Security Council (2001 – 2002). 

He was the Director of the International Relations Department of Javeriana University in Bogota. From there, he contributed to the development of the current legal framework for internally displaced population, and to the dissemination of international humanitarian law.

Andrés, a lawyer, did his International Baccalaureate (IB) at the United World College (Montezuma, New Mexico). He holds a Masters in Comparative Law (LL.M.) and Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL).

Franco is Colombian, is married and has three children.

Patrick Gasser

Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)

Patrick Gasser heads UEFA’s Football and Social Responsibility Unit (FSR). He joined UEFA in 1999, supporting football development in Eastern Europe. Before joining UEFA, Patrick worked for 13 years at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), both in the field and in the HR Department at the HQ in Geneva. He worked in areas affected by conflict in Asia, Africa the Middle-East and the Balkans, Patrick graduated in 1986 from the School of Economics and Business Administration in Lucerne and received a post-graduate degree in

Human Resources from the school’s Olten campus in 1996 and the University of Geneva in 1999. He obtained a diploma in Sociology, Politics and Management of Sports from the University of Lausanne in 2002. 

Steve Gibbons

Director, Ergon Associates

Steve is a co-founder of Ergon and is a specialist in international legal standards. He has over 25 years experience in devising and delivering consultancy, research, advice and training on a range of labour and human rights issues. He is a UK-qualified lawyer.

He has consulted to major international institutions, multinational companies, not for profit organizations and trade unions, including the ILO, World Bank Group, EBRD, the European Commission, London 2012, the ETI, the UK Department for International Development and OSCE. He has worked in country on projects in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Namibia, Zambia, Ukraine, Jordan, Albania, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Panama, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan and Hong Kong. He acts for a number of leading international companies as a consultant, advisor and trainer. He has worked on projects across many sectors, including oil and gas, mining, retail, agribusiness, the finance sector and clothing and merchandise supply chains. Recently he has been leading workshops for companies on the Modern Slavery Act.

As well as working on consulting and research projects, Steve has a particular expertise in facilitating stakeholder dialogue and also devising and devising and managing grievance and dispute resolution mechanisms in line with the UN Guiding Principles, including the procedure for the London 2012 Olympic Games. He is a expert member of the Independent Complaints Mechanism of DEG and FMO.

Steve also has many years experience delivering a range of learning and development and training programmes, including co-founding the UK's leading innovative online training company for lawyers CPDCast®. He is a regular conference speaker.

Kathryn Gill

Player Relations Executive, Professional Footballers Australia

Kathryn joined the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) Management Team in 2015 following her appointment as Player Relations Executive. The former Matildas Captain, and leading goal scorer enjoyed an outstanding playing career. During her 12-year stint with the National Team, Kathryn won many individual and team honours, including Asian Cup Winner, Asian Player of the Year 2010, W-League Gold Boot, 2014, 2013/14, and Swedish Damalsvansken Championship Winner.

A long serving member of the PFA Matildas Committee, Kathryn became the first female to the be appointed to the PFA Executive Committee in 2014. During her time on the Executive Committee she was instrumental in securing the historic ‘whole of game’ agreement, which resulted in a significantly enhanced career path for the country’s elite female players. More recently Kathryn has successfully executed the inaugural W-League Collective Bargaining Agreement, protecting the rights of players within Australia’s premier elite domestic women’s football competition.

Kathryn is extremely passionate about the growth potential of elite female sport both domestically and globally and sees this as a great opportunity and challenge to improve the workplace conditions and high-performance standards afforded to elite female athletes. Through her work with the PFA, Kathryn views women’s football as the catalyst for change in attitude towards female athletes and the recognition of more females in leadership roles across the workforce. Kathryn is determined to establish herself as an advocate for female athletes by working in an organisation and role that affords her the flexibility and support to implement strategies conducive of engagement, solidarity and ownership of change. Whilst providing her with guidance and opportunity to increase and diversify her skills set, so that she can grow, develop and better equip herself to navigate the current political sporting landscape.

Mary Graham

Associate Adjunct Professor, University of Queensland

Mary Graham was born in Brisbane and grew up in Southport on the Gold Coast in Queensland, she is a Kombu-merri person on her father's side and a member of the Waka Waka clan through her mother.

She has lectured on subjects in Aboriginal history, politics, and comparative philosophy at the University of Queensland and at other educational institutions around the country.  She has produced written materials, principally on philosophical and political themes and has been published in international journals.

Mary was a member of the first Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and was on the ATSIC Regional Council for South East Queensland and a Commissioner on the Qld Corrective Services. She is presently a Member of the National Congress for Australia’s First Peoples (NCAFP). She has been a Member of the Ethics Council on the NCAFP and was also a Member of the Ethics Council of the CSIRO.

Other activities have included freelance editing for University of Queensland Press (UQP); script development work for film and television with Murri-image Productions. She is also engaged in international research projects involving Australia and the UK.

She currently does research work with Institute of Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), a leading Aboriginal health organisation in Brisbane. She also is a Casual Lecturer at the University of Queensland (UQ) in the School of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS), the School of Psychology and the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry.

Heidi Grau

Head of Human Security Division, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs​

Ambassador Heidi Grau was appointed as Head of the Human Security Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in August 2015. She joined the Swiss diplomatic service in 1997 and was first assigned to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, where she worked on transition in CIS countries. She was then posted to the Embassy of Switzerland in Moscow from 1998 to 2002 and to the Political Division for Peace Policy and Human Security in Bern until 2006. At the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York she was in charge of humanitarian and environmental
questions and then served as Deputy Permanent Representative until she became Ambassador and Chief of Staff to the Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in December 2010. In May 2012 she was appointed as Head of the Task Force leading the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship. Heidi Grau holds a M.A. from the University of Zurich in History and Russian Philology. She speaks German, English, French, and Russian.

David Grevemberg

Chief Executive, Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF)

David is Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the organisation responsible for the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Youth Games and many other initiatives that inspire Commonwealth athletes to drive the ambition and power of all Commonwealth citizens through sport.

Previously, David was Chief Executive of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (Glasgow 2014 Limited), with ultimate managerial responsibility for the organisation’s successful preparation and staging of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. David was in charge of the day-to-day operations of the company, overseeing recruitment of a workforce of around 1,400 paid staff, up to 15,000 volunteers and around 30,000 contractor roles as well as the procurement of over £300m-worth of contracts to support the delivery of the hugely successful Games on time and, as recently announced, under budget. He was the chief liaison with national and local government and many other stakeholders, and played a leadership role developing and innovating a variety of sport, commercial, cultural, community engagement, corporate social responsibility and legacy programmes.

Before that, David was the Executive Director of Sport and International Federation Relations at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) headquartered in Bonn, Germany. A former competitive wrestler, during his career he has also served as a coach, athlete agent, team administrator, consultant and Board member. 

Dionne Harrison

Director, Impactt Limited

Dionne has worked with Impactt Ltd since 2003 during which time she established, worked in and managed the UK and Asia offices whilst designing and implementing some of the organization’s most innovative projects. She has led our work in Asia and the Middle East and has experience managing and delivering programmes in the UK, Bangladesh, China, India and UAE amongst others. Dionne has a personal passion for working to protect migrating workers from pitfalls of migration and associated types of forced labour. She has worked on initiatives such as the TLWG (temporary labour working group), a pre-cursor to the UK Government’s licensing of labour providers, and oversees out work with contractors in the Middle East.

Linda Kromjong

Secretary General, International Organisation of Employers (IOE)

Linda Kromjong took up her post as Secretary-General of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) in Geneva on 1 May 2015. The IOE is the largest network of the private sector in the world, with more than 150 business and employer organisation members. In the social and labour policy debate taking place in the International Labour Organization, across the UN and multilateral system, and in the G20, GFMD and other emerging processes, the IOE is the recognized global voice of business. 

Sandra Lendenmann

Head, Office of Human Rights Policy, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Human Security Division

Sandra Lendenmann is the Head of the Office of Human Rights Policy in the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs’ Human Security Division, HSD. In this role, Sandra leads and contributes with her team of experts to the Department’s bilateral and multilateral policy to promote respect for human rights, a key objective of Switzerland’s foreign policy. Prior to joining HSD, Sandra served as the Legal Counselor at the Swiss Mission to the European Union in Brussels. From 2010 to 2012, she served in the Directorate of International Law, dealing with International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights issues. In particular, she was a member of the Swiss Delegation in charge of the implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, as well as representing Switzerland in the negotiations on an Arms Trade Treaty in the framework of the UN. She started her career in the Swiss Ministry of Foreign affairs as a member of the cabinet of the State Secretary on Foreign affairs. Prior to joining the Swiss Foreign Service, Sandra worked as an Attorney in one of Switzerland’s leading business law firms, focusing in particular on dispute resolution in international trade matters.

Steve Leroy

Senior Vice President Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Discovery Networks International (DNI)

Since June 2016, Steve Leroy is Senior Vice President Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs for Discovery Networks International (DNI), which is Discovery Communications’ business outside of the US. Discovery’s media entertainment assets include Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and Eurosport. Steve oversees public affairs and licensing compliance across all countries worldwide except the US.

Prior to DNI, Steve was Vice President Legal & Corporate Affairs Europe at Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABInBev), the world’s largest brewer, based in Leuven, Belgium. In that role, he led the legal, public affairs, communications and sustainability teams in Europe for six years. Before AB InBev, Steve held public affairs & communications as well as business project management roles across Europe, Eurasia & the Middle East, first at the bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises (now Coca-Cola European Partners) and then at The Coca-Cola Company for twelve years.

Steve started his career as a lawyer in Brussels, and assisted the Belgian Commissioner General for the Refugees, before becoming project manager with the Antwerp Economic Development Agency. Subsequently, he was Chief of Staff to the Governor of the Province of Antwerp in Belgium. Steve Leroy is a US-born Belgian citizen (1966), and holds a Master’s degree in Law from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (1989); a Master’s degree in Commercial & Consular Sciences from Hautes Etudes Commerciales St. Louis (Groupe ICHEC), in Brussels, Belgium (1992); a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from INSEAD, in Fontainebleau, France (1998); and the specialised Master’s degree in EU Competition Law & Economics from the Brussels School of Competition, Belgium (2014).

Steve is married to Emmanuelle Errera, who is a US-born French and Argentinian citizen. They have a son called Arthur (2017).

Chikako Miyata

Vice President, ANA Holdings. INC

Chikako Miyata is Vice President of ANA HOLDINGS INC. She is currently in charge of Corporate Brand & CSR and particularly is involved in Business and Human Rights as well as the environmental agenda.

She has been a board member of Caux Round Table Japan since 2016.

She joined ANA in 1986 and became the cabin attendant of inflight-service department in domestic and international flights. She was subsequently promoted to the Manager of in-flight administration in 2004, focusing on service planning and personnel management. 

She became Manager of CSR Promotion in 2007 where she was in charge of Risk & Crisis Management and Compliance.

In 2011, she went to ANA subsidiary company SOLASEED AIR as Director of inflight-service department. She returned to ANA in 2013 and became the Director of product service. Two years later she moved to her current position of Corporate Brand & CSR of ANA HOLDINGS now as Vice President.

Raha Moharrak

First Saudi woman to climb Everest

Raha Moharrak made history in May 2013 as the first Saudi woman and youngest Arab to summit Mount Everest. She took up mountain climbing as an act of rebellion against cultural norms and excelled despite the absence of sports infrastructure in her country. She is now a health advocate espousing the necessity of sport as the foundation to well-being. Raha is a sought-after motivational speaker with an undergraduate degree in Graphic Design and a Master’s in Women Empowerment. Her memoir "For All Us Dreamers" will be published in 2017. Raha is also an Athlete Ambassador for Shirzanan, a Muslim women and sports advocacy organization.  

Op-ed published by CNN: Everest Not the Only Mountain I've Climbed

John Morrison

Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)

John Morrison has extensive experience working with leading companies on issues of corporate responsibility and human rights. He worked previously with The Body Shop International plc and led the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights 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 has acted as an advisor to a number of governments during their presidencies of intergovernmental organisations and has chaired a wide range of conferences and initiatives in many parts of the world.

Tim Noonan

Director, Campaigns and Communications, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)

Tim Noonan is Director of Campaigns and Communications at the International Trade Union Confederation, the global organisation representing 180 million workers from 333 affiliated organisations in 162 countries.  He leads the ITUC’s work on global sports events and their impacts on workers’ rights and human rights in general.  This has included campaigning to end the exploitation of child labour and other workers’ rights violations in the production of footballs and other licensed merchandise in the 1990’s, coordinating ITUC’s activities within the Play Fair campaigns around Olympics and FIFA World Cup events, and most recently concerning the situation of migrant workers involved in the infrastructure programme in the lead up to the planned 2022 association football World Cup in Qatar. 

Moira Oliver

Head of Policy & Chief Counsel, Human/Digital Rights, BT plc

Moira Oliver was appointed Head of Policy and Chief Counsel, Human/Digital Rights at BT in July 2015.  She is responsible for BT’s human rights programme in the UK and internationally.  Previously, as BT’s Head of Legal, Corporate Responsibility & Environment, she led BT Group’s UK and international legal teams advising on environmental issues and charity engagement. Moira started her career as a solicitor at the law firm Slaughter and May, specialising in corporate and banking advisory work. She holds a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford, is qualified as a Solicitor and is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Environmental Law and Practice.

Courtney Radsch

Advocacy Director, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

Courtney C. Radsch, PhD, is a journalist, researcher and free expression advocate with more than 13 years of experience in the United States and the Middle East. She joined CPJ in 2014 after working for UNESCO's Section for Freedom of Expression, where she coordinated the organization's strategy in the Arab region and edited the flagship publication "World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development."

Radsch previously worked as senior program manager for the Global Freedom of Expression Campaign at Freedom House, where she led advocacy missions to more than a dozen countries, U.N. bodies, and the Internet Governance Forum. She has also worked for Al-Arabiya in Dubai, the Daily Star in Lebanon, and The New York Times. She writes and speaks frequently about the intersection of media, technology, and human rights, with a particular emphasis on gender and the Middle East, and is a blogger for the Huffington Post.

Radsch holds a PhD in international relations from American University and is turning her dissertation, "Digital Dissidence & Political Change: Cyberactivism and Citizen Journalism in Egypt," into a book. She holds a master's of science in foreign service from Georgetown University and a bachelor's degree with highest honors in mass communication from the University of California, Berkeley.

David Russell

Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

David has been at the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission since 2008 and was appointed Chief Executive in April 2017. From 2009-2016 he also served as a Non-executive Director at the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council.

David has led the Commission’s duty to advise the United Kingdom government, Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly on matters affecting human rights in the jurisdiction. In addition, he has managed research and the exercising of investigatory powers on a diversity of social policy issues from emergency healthcare to racist hate crimes; the rights of nursing care home residents to the display of flags’ symbols and emblems. In 2008, he was engaged in drafting the Commission’s advice to the Secretary of State on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. In 2010, he was similarly involved in the work of the Joint Committee of the National Human Rights Institutions on the island of Ireland to produce advice on a proposed Charter of Rights.

David has expertise assisting National Human Rights Institutions working in post-conflict societies or with those facing significant constitutional reforms worldwide. This has included providing support to capacity building and governance programmes delivered in partnership with the United Nations, United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Commonwealth Secretariat and European Union.

From 2006-2009 David was Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Education, Queen’s University Belfast, and from 2002-2004 he was a Research Associate at the University of Oxford. He holds a PhD from the University of York, MA and BA Hons from Queen’s University Belfast.

David Rutherford

Chair, New Zealand Human Rights Commission

David Rutherford was appointed Chief Human Rights Commissioner on September 2011. Prior to his appointment, he was the managing director of Special Olympics Asia Pacific and based in Singapore.

He has held senior executive roles in building materials and agribusiness businesses operating in New Zealand and Australia, has been chief executive of the New Zealand Rugby Union and has worked as a corporate, securities and commercial lawyer in New Zealand and Canada.

Mr Rutherford has a strong history of involvement in sports and has lectured in sports law at Victoria University. He has been a volunteer Board member in rugby union, netball, Paralympics New Zealand, Special Olympics New Zealand, Special Olympics International and for the Attitude Trust. 

He brings a passion for development and the inclusion of people with disability in sports.

Brendan Schwab

Executive Director, World Players Association

Australian labour lawyer Brendan Schwab was appointed head of the World Players Association in July 2015. He is a co-founder of the Australian Athletes’ Alliance (AAA), which represents eight player unions and over 3,500 athletes in sports such as Australian football (AFL), basketball, rugby union, rugby league, cricket, netball, horse racing and football.

He co-founded Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), serving as Chief Executive and General Counsel while advancing its progression and the reform of Australian football during the past 20 years. On a global level, Schwab has played an instrumental role for FIFPro, the world football players’ union, in protecting the rights of professional footballers, especially within Asia and Oceania, serving in various capacities including as a board member, Vice President and Chairman of FIFPro Division Asia/Oceania..

Semyon Simonov

Researcher & Photographer, Human Rights Watch

In the lead-up to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, with the support of the human rights centre "Memorial", Semyon Simonov provided free legal assistance to migrant workers whose rights were violated during the construction of sports facilities and infrastructure.  He subsequently did research, in collaboration with Human Rights Watch, on the protection of workers’ rights at 2018 FIFA World Cup stadium construction sites.

Semyon provides legal assistance and charitable help to migrants and representatives of national minorities who found themselves in vulnerable situations in Russia. He represented refugees from Ukraine in court, published a report on the legal status of stateless persons, and investigated violations of the rights of Roma. He is also involved in human rights educational activities, initiatives against racism and xenophobia, and public oversight of government bodies.

Takeo Tanaka

Head of Sustainability, TOCOG, Tokyo 2020

Mr. Tanaka was appointed the head of Sustainability of Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in April, 2015. He serves as a member of IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission and is a member of JOC Sports and Environment Commission.

Darron Turnquest

Director of Youth, Ministry of Youth Sports & Culture, Government of the Bahamas

In 2005, Mr. Turnquest received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Political Science from Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada and in 2007 he earned a M.A. in Psychology from Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA. While pursuing his Master’s degree, Mr. Turnquest worked at numerous institutions for at-risk youth in Boston. To date,  he is currently completing studies at Barry University where he is studying to obtain his Doctoral in Educational Leadership and Human Resource Development. Mr. Turnquest recently earned his designation as an International Project Manager and is also certified as a Human Resource Analyst and Human Resource Manager (International Designations). 

Darron has served as Counseling Psychologist at the Bahamas Crisis Centre, Director of Residential Planning at The Bahamas Institute of Adolescent and Child Mental Health and  as a psychologist and classroom teacher at St. Andrew’s School in Nassau, Bahamas.  Presently, Darron works as an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at The University of The Bahamas and as the Clinical Director for Key Potential Counseling. In 2011, Mr. Turnquest was appointed by the Bahamas Public Service Commission as the youngest person to serve as a Director and since August 2011 has served as Director of Youth within the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. In September of 2018 Mr. Turnquest was appointed the youngest Actg. Deputy Permanent Secretary in The Bahamas Public Service. During the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games Mr. Turnquest was trained by UNICEF and appointed Chief of Child Safeguarding  by the local organizing committee, leading a team of over fifty officers. 

Lene Wendland

Chief of Directorate, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Ms. Lene Wendland heads the work on Business and Human Rights in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In that capacity she was part of the team of former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on business and human rights, Professor John Ruggie, for the duration of his mandate from 2005-2011 and contributed to the development and drafting of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. She has led OHCHR’s involvement with the UN Global Compact since 2002, and more recently she headed the secretariat of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights and of the Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights (until January 2014). She is responsible for OHCHR’s efforts to support implementation of the UN Guiding Principles at the country level and through strategic embedding in relevant global governance frameworks. She also directs OHCHR’s Corporate Accountability and Remedy Project which aims to enhance accountability and access to remedy in cases of business involvement in serious human rights abuses. Prior to joining OHCHR, Lene was consulting on human rights issues to a range of international NGOs and intergovernmental organisations. From 1993 – 1997 she headed the Media Law Project at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and before that she was a legal research officer at the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Lene holds a Masters degree in law from the University of Copenhagen.

Brent Wilton

Director, Global Workplace Rights, The Coca-Cola Company

Having trained as a labor lawyer in New Zealand, Brent has spent the last 28 years representing companies and their representative organizations across a range of labor and human rights issues in countries around the world.

Prior to joining Coca-Cola as director of Global Workplace Rights in April of 2015, for the last 15 years, Brent has been based in Switzerland with the International Organization of Employers (IOE) representing the interests of business in 150 countries on global labor and social policy matters across the UN and wider multilateral system, particularly within the International Labor Organization. As a result, Brent has directly engaged with Global Union Federations, NGOs, Governments, other stakeholders and opinion makers in the negotiation and resolution of issues.

In particular, Brent was engaged from the outset in the stakeholder discussions that led to the creation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, working closely with Professor John Ruggie and his team, and more recently with the UN Human Rights Working Group on their follow up to the implementation of the Principles. Brent also served on the Board of the UN Global Compact in his last role as IOE Secretary General and was co-chair of their multi-stakeholder Labor and Human Rights Working Group.

Eli Wolff

Director, Sport and Society initiative, Brown University

Eli A. Wolff is the director of the Sport and Society initiative at Brown University, and he also leads the Power of Sport Lab, a platform to fuel and magnify innovation, inclusion and social change through sport. With colleagues, Eli leads the Inclusive Sports Initiative, the Olympism Project, and Athletes for Human Rights.

From 2003 to 2008, Eli led a global effort to include provisions addressing sport and recreation within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and he has served as the coordinator of the International Disability in Sport Working Group for ongoing work related to the rights and dignity of individuals with disabilities in sport. 

Eli has also contributed to the global coordination and mobilization network for the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) on April 6 of each year as recognized by the United Nations, and an official day on the international calendar.

Since 2013, Eli and colleagues have collaborated with the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville Kentucky to organize an annual Athletes and Social Change Forum with a focus on research, education and advocacy in the area of athletes and sport for development, and athletes and human rights.  

Eli was a member of the United States Paralympic Soccer Team in the 1996 and 2004 Paralympic Games. Eli is a graduate of Brown University and has an MA in Olympic Studies from the German Sport University of Cologne.

Minky Worden

Director of Global Initiatives, Human Rights Watch

As Human Rights Watch's Director of Global Initiatives, Minky Worden develops and implements international outreach and advocacy campaigns. She previously served as Human Rights Watch's Media Director, working with the world’s journalists to help them cover crises, wars, human rights abuses and political developments in some 90 countries worldwide. Before joining Human Rights Watch in 1998, Ms. Worden lived and worked in Hong Kong as an adviser to Democratic Party chairman Martin Lee and worked at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. as a speechwriter for the U.S. Attorney General and in the Executive Office for US Attorneys. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Ms. Worden speaks Cantonese and German, and is an elected member of the Overseas Press Club's Board of Governors. She is the editor of The Unfinished Revolution (Seven Stories Press, 2012) and China's Great Leap (Seven Stories Press, 2008), and the co-editor of Torture(New Press, 2005).

Kristen Worley

Cyclist; Educator & Diversity Development Adviser; President, Human Diversity in Sport Foundation (HDiS), Canada

Kristen Worley is an elite-level high performance cyclist who has been tirelessly at the forefront of the struggles against sport gender rules for 16 years. A transitioned athlete, Kristen was the first athlete in the world who was subject to the IOC’s 2003 Stockholm Consensus regarding conditions under which athletes who had changed sex could compete in sporting competitions. Kristen for the last decade has been predominantly engaged with the International Olympic Committee and sport, those that are signatories to the Olympic Movement, as an educator and adviser regarding diversity education and inclusive policy in global sport.

In June 2015, Kristen’s professional career cut short by health implications directly related to current regulated policy sought a human rights application within the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario in Canada, against the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), Cycling Canada (CC) and the Ontario Cycling Association (OCA). In July 2017 she successfully reached an unprecedented settlement in sport with the UCI, CC and OCA, in which she sought changes to the sport policies, IOC guidelines, rules and processes surrounding XY female athletes, gender verification and therapeutic use of required hormones that are captured by anti-doping regulations. Kristen is in great demand as a speaker on gender diversity in sport and is writing a book that will be published shortly by Penguin Random House.