Shukrana supports the implementation of RISE Respect, Digital and Foundations programs in Bangladesh.

Prior to RISE, Shukrana worked as Research Manager at Nexel Research Limited. She has also worked as consultants on different social studies. Her research experience spans multiple sectors including Women Empowerment, Capacity Development, WASH and Health.

Shukrana holds an MBA from North South University with major in Finance.

Akram is a Finance and Operations Associate at RISE. He is responsible for maintaining the day-to-day operations, processes, and reporting. He also ensures the functioning of the Impact Portal and coordinates the workplace programs' finances. Before RISE, Akram's professional journey has led him to work in sustainability projects funding and development in Italy and operations financing for the French agricultural sector's transition toward sustainable practices.He’s traversed various corners of the globe for his education, obtaining a bachelor's degree in Accounting from the American University in Cairo, with a semester at American University, Washington DC. He also holds a master's degree in Sustainable Development from three esteemed universities—Padova in Italy, Leuven in Belgium, and Paris in France.

Katharina works with the RISE partnership team to support and expand the network of RISE members and stakeholders.

She supports RISE members – brands, buyers, suppliers, and vendors in the apparel, footwear, and home textile industries– to promote gender equality and empower women workers throughout global supply chains.

Prior to BSR, Katharina managed strategic partnerships for the Center for International Media Assistance as assistant program officer at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington D.C., focusing on the role of independent media in the creation and development of sustainable democracies.

Katharina holds an MA in Human Rights from University College London, as well as a BA in International Education and Development from the University of Sussex.

At RISE, Noki focuses on implementing and monitoring RISE's gender equality and women's empowerment programs in the south of China, helping the global supply chain create a more friendly, equal environment for all workers.

Prior to joining BSR, Noki worked for a Chinese NGO where he was responsible for monitoring cooperation programs with UNICEF and UNWomen, focused on establishing and implementing the Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) system according to UN standards. He also aided in the implementation of the Grameen Bank program in China.

Noki holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from International Christian University, majoring in Law and Literature. He speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Japanese and French.

Huong is the leader of RISE implementation in Vietnam. Her responsibilities include overseeing the program to ensure its quality, communicating with local partners, brands, factories, and related agencies to expand RISE’s presence & reputation in the country.

Huong has gained rich experiences in managing projects/programs in Social Development, Gender Equality, Financial Inclusion and Worker Capacity Building. Before joining RISE, Huong played a key role in the positions of project manager, coordinators and M&E Expert in different International NGOs (Care, Save the children, RTI, FHI) and in ILO Vietnam.

Huong holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences Education Degree and Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree in International Business.

With more than 10 years' experience in sustainability, Cherry manages RISE, a global factory-based initiative focused on gender equality and well-being of women workers in supply chain factories, in China and other Asian countries. She handles overall implementation and works with the RISE global team to expand presence and amplify program impact around the world. She also leads the quality assurance workstream in RISE.

Cherry has worked with more than 40 international companies across industries. Prior to joining BSR, Cherry worked at the Guangdong Overseas Construction Co. Group, where she coordinated activities focused on improving the well-being of migrant workers based abroad between Chinese headquarters and overseas offices.

Cherry holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Chongqing University and a Master’s of Business Administration from Sun Yat-Sen University. Cherry speaks Chinese, English, and Cantonese.

Isadora leads the RISE Respect - Tackling Gender Based Violence and Harassment program, which focuses on preventing and remediating gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in the garment industry.

Isadora was a manager at HERproject, where she led the HERrespect pillar globally and HERproject operations in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and India. She was originally based in BSR’s Hong Kong office when she started at HERproject in 2018. Prior to joining BSR, Isadora worked at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)’s Bangkok office, where she was part of the gender and social inclusion division. In this role, she focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment policies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Isadora holds a Master’s Degree in International Law and Economics, with a focus on International Development and Humanitarian Action, from the Institut d'Etudes Humanitaires - Université Paul Cézanne Aix Marseille III. She is a native French speaker and is fluent in English and Spanish.

Laura leads RISE's Women’s Advancement and Leadership Program. She also leads the Data, Evidence, and Learning strategy globally and the implementation of RISE in India and Latin America.

At BSR, she worked on Keeping Workers in the Loop, where industry leaders collaborated on exploring the just transition to a circular fashion model, and she advised companies across the globe on equity, inclusion, and justice strategies, with a focus on supply chains. 

Prior to joining BSR, Laura researched the relationship between innovation, artificial intelligence, and diversity as part of the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation. She also worked at UNICEF in corporate partnerships and fundraising. 

Laura writes about equity-related topics as a columnist, and she speaks Spanish, English, and French. She has an MPA degree from Sciences Po, and she completed a fellowship in public leadership at the Universidad de Los Andes.

Ella manages RISE's Financial Health program in global supply chains, working closely with partners Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, The Walt Disney Company, and GIZ. RISE Financial Health supports low-income workers, especially women, to access, use, and benefit from their payroll accounts and build their financial capability in order to increase their financial health and economic empowerment, while also increasing efficiency and transparency in global supply chains.

Before joining BSR, Ella was partnership manager on CARE International UK’s private-sector engagement team, working closely with companies including Barclays, Mondelez International, and GSK to develop mutually beneficial partnerships and deliver business and social impact, with a focus on women’s economic empowerment and financial inclusion. Ella also spent three years as a VSO fundraising advisor in India working for grassroots disability and rural development organizations. 

Ella holds a Master’s in Development Studies from Birkbeck, University of London.

Sreya works on multiple RISE programs across global supply chains. She supports RISE Respect—Tackling GBVH, RISE Foundations, and RISE Women and Leadership programs. She is also responsible for assisting country leads in India and Bangladesh.  

Prior to BSR, Sreya worked as a gender consultant in different nonprofits and international organizations. She worked on an action-research project on socioeconomic inclusion of migrant and refugee women in the EU, focusing on Italy, France, Greece, and the UK, in collaboration with Women Forward International. She also worked as a graduate research assistant at Sciences Po MediaLab, where she investigated the gendered dimensions of immigrant discourse on Twitter.    

Sreya has a Master’s in International Development, with a specialization in Advanced Gender Studies from Sciences Po Paris. Originally from Calcutta, India, Sreya is a native Bengali speaker. She speaks English and Hindi fluently, and she speaks French at an intermediate level. 

Smita leads the operations of RISE in Bangladesh, and she also leads RISE Foundations program globally which is a blend of RISE legacy programs Gap Inc. P.A.C.E and HERproject with a worker rights and responsibilities component from ILO Better Work.

Prior joining to RISE, she was a Research Associate at IPA. She led rigorous programs throughout her career and has robust experience in financial inclusion, gender issues, GBVH, digital learning, life skills & leadership, women’s health, policy and advocacy and sustainable business strategies. She has an MBA from North South University – Bangladesh.

Sethypong is the leader of RISE implementation in Cambodia. His responsibilities include overseeing the program, ensuring quality, communicating with brands and factories, and expanding RISE's presence in the country. He is an experienced development practitioner with expertise in program management, social development, gender, financial inclusion, communication campaigns, and digital innovation.

Before joining RISE, Sethypong played a key role in program development and strategy, providing technical assistance to the government, UN agencies, associations, and international organizations in Cambodia and the region.

Sethypong holds a Master's Degree in International Development and Humanitarian Action.

Kamrul supports Transform Financial Health & RISE Digital programs across Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Kenya and Pakistan. Kamrul is responsible for managing program implementtaion, quality assurance, stakeholder cordination in Egypt, Kenya & Pakistan.

Prior to joining RISE, Kamrul worked as Assistant Director at a Bangladeshi social enterprise, Dnet, where his main focus was on expanding the horizon of financial accessibility of micro-merchants of Bangladesh, in collaboration with United Nations Capital Development Fund.

Kamrul holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Dhaka. He speaks Bangla, English & Hindi.

Angela leads the operational performance for RISE, an initiative to support collaborative industry action at scale to advance gender quality in global garment, footwear, and home textiles supply chains. RISE’s mission is to empower women workers, embed gender equality in business practices, and catalyze systems change.

Angela has spent her career working for international NGOs focused on promoting gender equality, including for a leading sexual and reproductive health service provider. Angela has managed programs across the Asia and Africa regions and has lived and worked in Nigeria.

Angela holds an MBA from Toronto Metropolitan University, a Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, and a PRINCE2 project management qualification. Angela speaks English and Greek.

Lisa leads business partnerships for RISE, an initiative to support collaborative industry action at scale to advance gender equality in global garment, footwear, and home textiles supply chains. RISE’s mission is to empower women workers, embed gender equality in business practices, and catalyze systems change. 

Prior to joining BSR, Lisa worked as a lawyer in Brussels and Stockholm, advising clients on corporate sustainability, compliance, and corporate governance. She has also worked as a law clerk at Stockholm District Court and served as a board member and rule-of-law trial observer for the Swedish Section of the International Commission of Jurists. 

Lisa holds a Master’s Degree in International Development Practice from Sciences Po, Paris, and an LLM from Uppsala University. A Swedish native, Lisa also speaks English, French, and German.

Christine leads RISE (Reimagining Industry to Support Equality), a collaborative initiative focused on accelerating and expanding gender equality and women’s empowerment across global supply chains through the delivery of proven interventions and greater cross-sector collaboration. Its mission is to empower women workers, embed gender equality in business practice, and catalyze systems change with an initial focus on the apparel, footwear, and home sectors.  RISE is founded by BSR, CARE, Better Work and Gap, Inc. 

Prior to RISE, Christine led BSR’s HERproject and was previously the global director of women’s economic empowerment at CARE International and before that led CARE’s work on private-sector development, focusing on inclusive business models and social enterprise development. Christine also previously worked for the United Nations Development Programme. Christine lives in London and speaks English, Spanish and Danish. 

Christine is also the Vice Chair of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women supporting women entrepreneurs globally.  

Christine holds an MSc in International Development and Business and a BSc in International Business and Modern Languages, both from Copenhagen Business School. She also holds an Advanced Business Management degree from IESE Business School.

Borhan supports multiple RISE programs in global garment, footwear, and home textiles supply chains, including RISE Transform Financial Health, RISE Digital, and country programs in Vietnam and Cambodia. He also provides monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and data management support for RISE.

Prior to joining BSR, Borhan was a Programme Officer at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Bangladesh, managing projects with an emphasis on decent work, gender equality, labor rights, women's empowerment, sustainable business practices, and promoting social dialogue and harmonious industrial relations in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector. Borhan also worked with BRAC in Bangladesh and Tanzania, coordinating financial inclusion, economic empowerment, and capacity development support for marginalized and rural people, especially women.

Borhan holds an MBA from University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. He speaks English and Bengali.

Ryan works on RISE programming in China, specifically the successful delivery and coordination of capacity-strengthening efforts in workplaces. These include increased agency, confidence, and communication as well as increased access to and control over financial products, services, and resources, enhancement of the capabilities of unions and industry organizations to serve as gender champions, and implementation of policies at the workplace level, but also regional and national levels, that promote gender equality. 

Prior to joining BSR, Ryan worked at GN ReSound, where he focused on public relations, project management, training, and marketing, especially for Hearing the Future, a national hearing care prevention and treatment program and public-private partnership between the Chinese Ministry of Health, China Disabled Persons Federation, and GN ReSound. 

Ryan holds a Master’s in Strategy and Marketing from the Ecole Supérieure de Gestion et Commerce International (ESGCI) and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Tongji University. 

Katrina is an Associate at RISE, where she provides training and manages projects aimed at supporting women workers in garment factories, as well as other women’s empowerment projects.

Prior to joining BSR, Katrina worked as a product manager and as a sales manager in multiple audiometric equipment and hearing aid companies, including Siemens and Otometrics. In these roles, she managed customer relationships, formulated sales plans, designed product training sessions, and provided these sessions to customers.

Katrina holds a bachelor’s degree in Interpretation between English and Mandarin from Shanghai Jiaotong University as well as an associate’s degree focusing on audiology technology from Fudan University. She is currently pursuing an MBA from Canberra University. Katrina speaks English and Mandarin.