As an Advisor, Swantje works with companies to support their implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).
Swantje is an international lawyer with more than ten years of experience in international criminal law, human rights implementation and business and human rights. She has worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague as well as the UN Khmer-Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh. She has also worked on the broader implementation of human rights with the EU External Action Service, and with the Committee for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs of the German Federal Parliament. As a research fellow for the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law for Cambodia and the Sudan, she designed and delivered training to members of parliament and government representatives.
Prior to joining shift, Swantje was a Manager for Human Rights at Mercedes-Benz Group AG, where she set up the company’s human rights due diligence management system and oversaw implementation of its activities throughout the supply chain. In this role, she also led the implementation of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act in company policies and processes, working closely with Mercedes’ procurement units and other relevant functions in headquarters and entities across the world. Swantje has also represented Mercedes, a founding member, in the Sector Dialogue of the German Automotive Industry, a multi-stakeholder forum and the first of its kind. Alongside the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, business associations, civil society organizations, trade unions and other enterprises in the automotive supply chain, the sector dialogue seeks to develop joint solutions to address human rights risks and improve the protection of human rights along automotive supply chains. Amongst other things, this included the establishment of a cross-company grievance mechanism in Mexico that seeks to improve access to remedy in the lower tiers of the supply chain.
Swantje holds Master of Laws (distinction) in International Law with a Spezialisation in Human Rights and a Bachelor of Laws in European Law from Maastricht University. She also holds an M.A. (distinction) in European and International Studies from the Centre International de Formation Européenne. She has been a guest lecturer at several universities, including the University of Groningen and the Central European University in Vienna.
