Archives: People

RUTGER GOETHART | SENIOR ASSOCIATE

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In his role as a Senior Associate at Shift, Rutger focuses on corporate human rights due diligence, supporting companies to assess, address, prioritize, and report potential human rights impacts. He guides companies on the practical application of the UNGPs, supporting the acquisition of internal buy-in and development of strategy and policies, risk assessment, external stakeholder engagement and collection of feedback, action-planning and communications and reporting.

Rutger’s expertise is in human rights, labor rights and public affairs, in both national and international contexts:

1. Business & Human Rights, globally
2. International labor/industrial Relations, including European Works Councils
3. Public/government affairs & politics, at national, EU and international levels

Rutger gained this experience through work at the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) supporting the development of the social European Sustainability Reporting Standards; at HEINEKEN, as Global Public Affairs Manager and Manager for International Labor Relations, where he was responsible for international labor relations and labor & human rights; as International Public Affairs Manager and as Manager for International Labor Relations at the Postal & Express Company TNT. His first practical experience in Labor Rights & Relations and Public Affairs was as Secretary of International Social Affairs for the Dutch Employers’ Federation (Algemene Werkgeversvereniging VNO-NCW).

Rutger studied at the Faculty of Law at Utrecht University, where he specialized in Labor and Civil law. He speaks English and Dutch and is proficient in French, Spanish and German.

MARK HODGE | VICE PRESIDENT

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JENNY HOLDCROFT | DEPUTY DIRECTOR, BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT

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As Deputy Director of Business Engagement, Jenny works with companies, governments, financial institutions, civil society organizations, funders and partners to advance Shift’s mission to redefine corporate practice to fully embed human rights. Working closely with the Business Engagement team, she facilitates strategic alignment and shared learning across Shift’s work.

Jenny has over 20 years of experience working with trade unions, companies, NGOs, multistakeholder initiatives, academics and others to drive progress on business and human rights. Most recently, Jenny was Assistant General Secretary at IndustriALL Global Union, where she led major initiatives on precarious work, living wages and sustainable industrial policy. There, she engaged extensively with multinational companies, governments, NGOs and trade unions to develop pioneering joint strategies, including the ACT initiative on living wages in garment supply chains, linking brand purchasing practices to the payment of higher wages, and the seminal Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, for which Jenny jointly led the first international arbitration in the field of business and human rights to enforce its provisions.

Before this Jenny was Director of ICT, Electrical and Electronics and Aerospace Departments at the International Metal Workers Federation in Geneva. She has also held posts at the Affirmative Action Agency, the National Tertiary Education Union, and the Community and Public Sector Union, in Sydney, Australia.

Since January 2021, Jenny has worked with Shift’s Accounting for Living Wages project to support the development of an accounting model that enables companies to measure and report on progress towards living wages across their workforces and supply chains.

Jenny holds a Masters in Labour Law and Relations from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelor’s degree in French and Linguistics from the University of Exeter.

THÉO JAEKEL | SENIOR ASSOCIATE

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Théo Jaekel is a lawyer specialized in business and human rights and international law. He brings over a decade’s experience working with multinational companies, both as in-house and external legal counsel, research-based civil society organizations, as well as academia.

Théo’s hands-on experience in the implementation of international standards and legal frameworks on business and human rights includes designing and embedding due diligence processes across value chains and global operations, conducting in-depth and on the ground research and investigations in high-risk countries, establishing governance and accountability structures as well as supporting clients on legal cases.

Théo is a frequent, and internationally recognized, panel speaker and lecturer at several universities, and has held several non-executive board seats for international organizations.

Théo holds an LL.M. in international law from Stockholm University and his previous experiences include managing the global legal human rights team at Ericsson Group as Director, Business and Human Rights, establishing and leading the human rights practice group at Vinge law firm, and conducting research projects and investigations on corporate accountability, including field work in high-risk and conflict-affected areas for Swedwatch. Théo currently works as an independent business and human rights advisor.

As a trained and certified SA8000 auditor, Théo conducts social audits in a wide range of sectors and geographies, including extractives, ICT manufacturing and apparel.

SUBAJINI JAYASEKARAN | ADVISOR

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MAIREAD KEIGHER | ADVISOR

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As an Advisor with Shift, Mairead works hand-in-hand with companies and other strategic partners to build capacity to identify, prioritize and mitigate human rights risks. She blends her background in business, technology, CSR and human rights disclosure to help companies fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights. From 2016-2019, she managed Shift’s Reporting Program, a flagship initiative aimed at developing corporate capacity for improved human rights disclosure in line with the UNGPs and equipping other stakeholders to understand and interpret this disclosure, particularly through the expansion of the UNGP Reporting Database. As part of this program, Mairead worked closely with Mazars LLP through the development of the UN Guiding Principles Assurance Guidance.

Prior to joining Shift, Mairead worked for 16 years for Microsoft in Europe in both strategic and operational positions, the second half of which as Corporate Affairs Manager for Central and Eastern Europe. In this role Mairead coordinated across Microsoft’s 28 subsidiaries to engage with governments and bring a consistent policy and corporate social responsibility strategy to life. She participated on behalf of Microsoft in multi-stakeholder initiatives on key topics linked to business and human rights. Prior to this role, Mairead led Partner Marketing across Central and Eastern Europe and had European operational responsibility for the company’s Anti-Piracy programs.

BARBARA KONEVAL | DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FINANCE

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As Shift’s Deputy Director of Finance, Barbara manages the financial aspects of our collaborations and activities. She is responsible for financial management and accounting, contracts, grants and operational compliance.

Barbara brings over fifteen years of experience in operations roles with sustainability organizations focused on environmental and social responsibility. She previously managed the training program for the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), a national network of over 675 colleges and universities committed to tracking greenhouse gas emissions and planning for climate neutrality.

Prior to her work with the ACUPCC, Barbara worked on climate and sustainability research and the development of a sustainability rating system for Fortune 500 companies. She spent four years at the Oregon Natural Step Network, coordinating operations and professional development events for a network of over 300 businesses, higher education institutions, government agencies and non-profit organizations interested in sustainability.

Barbara has an MBA in Sustainable Business from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, the first graduate program in the US to offer an MBA focused on environmentally and socially responsible business practices. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Human Ecology from Rutgers University. Barbara is also a licensed “SCORE” assessor – a tool that helps organizations evaluate the effective integration of sustainability into their operations. She is a United States national.

MICHELLE LANGLOIS | SENIOR ADVISOR

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As a Senior Advisor with Shift, Michelle works with companies, financial institutions and other strategic partners to support their implementation of the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs).

Michelle has a decade of experience analyzing the maturity of companies’ human rights reporting and played a central role in promoting the uptake of the UN GUIDING PRINCIPLES REPORTING FRAMEWORK, including through developing Shift’s UN GUIDING PRINCIPLES REPORTING DATABASE. She is also a leading expert in the application of the UN Guiding Principles to new and emerging legislation and standards. Her work includes analyzing the implications of these standards for leading companies and financial institutions that have commitments and practices that are aligned with the UNGPs. She is also involved in Shift’s work supporting the development of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (EFRAG) under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

As part of Shift’s Business Learning Program, Michelle supports financial sector and FMCG partners, working closely with partners on human rights due diligence, including the identification of salient human rights issues, E&S risk assessment frameworks, grievance mechanisms, stakeholder engagement and internal capacity building – including for procurement departments, portfolio managers, and front-line teams.

Michelle is a (non-practicing) lawyer specialized in international human rights law. She completed her articling position at a major Canadian corporate law firm and graduated summa cum laude from the Master of Laws program in International Human Rights Law at the University of Notre Dame. Michelle is based in Canada and speaks English and French.

LLOYD LIPSETT | SENIOR ASSOCIATE

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As a Senior Associate with Shift, Lloyd engages with our collaboration partners on an everyday basis, with a particular focus advising companies in the extractives sector and in emerging markets. As a leading expert on human rights impact assessments, Lloyd has a deep understanding of the impact on communities and workers of large scale infrastructure, extractives and natural resources projects.

Lloyd is an international human rights lawyer with 25 years of experience working with companies, governments, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations and indigenous peoples on corporate impacts on people.  Lloyd has led or participated in over 75 on-the-ground assessments in challenging contexts around the world.

Lloyd has particular expertise on indigenous peoples rights, economic, social and cultural rights, stakeholder engagement and grievance mechanisms. He regularly publishes and makes presentations on a wide range of human rights issues relevant to companies, industry associations and governments.

Lloyd previously served as the senior assistant to three presidents of the Canadian human rights organization Rights & Democracy from 2003 to 2008, and participated in all aspects of the organization’s management and programming, including the development of a community-based human rights impact assessment methodology. He began his career as a corporate litigator at McMillan Binch in Toronto. He successfully represented clients at all levels of the courts of the province of Ontario and in the Canadian federal court system and developed a specialization in class actions, mediation and dispute resolution. Lloyd is a graduate of Queen’s University and McGill University and is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. He is a Canadian and United States national and speaks English and French.

HELEN MEEKINGS | SENIOR ADVISOR, ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

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As a Senior Advisor, Helen develops and leads Shift’s work at the nexus of human rights and environment, climate and biodiversity. Helen is an energetic, collaborative and experienced senior leader bringing with her more than 20 years’ experience in sustainability and climate change, 11 of which have been in the international finance sector. Helen has worked at the senior executive level, leading climate and ESG organizational change, including in the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). She has also led international negotiations and UK government policy development relating to climate, sustainability and export finance.

Helen is experienced in delivering the requirements of the UN Guiding Principles from a business and government perspective, particularly in her role with UK Export Finance, where she headed their environmental and social risk management team for a number of years. She has worked with business, financial institutions, standard setters and civil society on interrelated sustainability issues at both corporate and project level. This includes significant experience in the implementation of the IFC Performance Standards, Equator Principles, and with OECD requirements such as the OCED Common Approaches and Guidelines for Multilateral Enterprises. More recently, Helen has advised and supported businesses and financial institutions with evolving international ESG requirements, such as those of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), EU and Global Reporting Initiative.

Helen is a strategic thinker supported by strong practical knowledge and skills gained from working internationally throughout her career and across many industrial sectors. Helen is a civil and public health engineer by training, and a professionally qualified chartered engineer and chartered environmentalist in the UK.