Dr. Alexandra Guáqueta

A Colombian national, Alexandra joined Flinders University in Australia in 2011 after a career moving between business and civil society organizations. The United Nations Human Rights Council appointed her in September 2011 to the new Working Group on Business and Human Rights that will carry forward the implementation of the new UN Guiding Principles.

Before moving to Flinders, Alexandra was Head of Social Standards and International Engagement at Cerrejón Coal, a Colombian joint venture of BHP Billiton, Anglo American and Xstrata, where she piloted the grievance mechanism guidelines of the UN Guiding Principles. Prior to that role, she was Academic Director at Ideas para la Paz, a renowned think tank in Bogotá, having worked previously in Government Affairs for Occidental Petroleum in Colombia. At both Occidental and Cerrejón she was heavily involved in the implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. Alexandra has lectured in International Relations at various universities and worked also at the International Peace Institute in New York, prior to her recent appointment at Flinders University.