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.

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 and Mental Health programs to advance equality for workers in global supply chains, working closely with partners Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Kate Spade New York.  Previously, Ella worked for RISE founder partner HERproject, managing HERfinance Digital Wage partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walt Disney Company.

Before joining HERproject, 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.

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.

Krishanti Dharmaraj has over 25 years of experience working to realize human rights, particularly of women and girls. She is the Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. Ms. Dharmaraj is the founder of the Dignity Index, a human rights measurement tool utilized to ensure equity and inclusion to reduce identity-based discrimination. She is also the Chair of the groundbreaking Dindigul Agreement to Eliminate Gender Based Violence.

Previously, Ms. Dharmaraj was the Western Regional Spokesperson for Amnesty International USA. She is also the co-founder of WILD for Human Rights (Women’s Institute for Leadership Development), the Sri Lanka Children’s Fund and Children’s Fund for Peace.

Ms. Dharmaraj has received numerous awards for her cutting-edge work, and has conducted trainings and lectured extensively in the U.S. and abroad. She has an MBA from Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkley.

Anisha Chugh has been with Women's Fund Asia for over 10 years and since July 2022 has assumed the position of Executive Director of the organisation. She previously worked at different levels within Women’s Fund Asia - Deputy Executive Director, Director of Programmes and Programme Officer.

Prior to joining Women’s Fund Asia, Anisha worked with a human rights funder in India called the Dalit Foundation. Anisha has been part of several grant-making advisories. She currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Fenomenal Funds (The Women's Funds Collaborative Initiative) and represents Women’s Fund Asia on the Advisory Board of the Resilience Fund. Anisha has also recently joined the Steering Committee of Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN).

Anisha has a Master’s in History from the University of Delhi (St. Stephen’s College) as well as a Master’s in Governance in Development from Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.

Christina Hajagos-Clausen is IndustriALL Global Union’s director for the textile, garment, shoe and leather sector. IndustriALL Global Union represents 50 million workers in 140 countries in mining, energy and manufacturing, including the garment and textile, leather and shoe sectors. It is a force in global solidarity taking up the fight for better working conditions and trade union rights around the world.

Christina is a board member of the initiative Act (Action, Collaboration and Transformation); a member of the Global Steering Committee for the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industries; and also a board member of the Bangladesh RMG Sustainability Council.

Christina holds a BA in language and literature from Bard College; an MA in women studies from the New School for Social Research; and a MSc in union leadership and administration from the University of Massachusetts. She is also a graduate of Harvard’s trade union programme.

Aron is recognized globally as a preeminent authority on just and sustainable business. In addition to leading BSR, which has grown substantially throughout his tenure as President and CEO, Aron advises senior executives at BSR’s 300+ member companies and other global businesses and partners on the full spectrum of environmental, social, and governance issues.

Aron joined BSR in 1995 as the founding director of its Business and Human Rights program. He later opened BSR's Paris office in 2002, where he worked until becoming President and CEO in 2004. Aron has served on advisory boards to CEOs at AXA, Barrick Gold, Marks & Spencer, Nike, Recruit Holdings, SAP, Shell, and he serves as a director of the We Mean Business Coalition and RISE.

Prior to joining BSR, Aron practiced law in San Francisco and worked as a journalist at ABC News in New York. He holds a BA from Tufts University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Payal currently serves as the Executive Vice President, Global Programs, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. She joined the Center in April 2018 and oversees the Center’s philanthropic investments around the globe.

Previously, she was Head of Global Community Programs for Standard Chartered Bank. In this capacity, she oversaw all programs related to education, health, emergency response, and disaster relief. Payal joined Standard Chartered in July 2008 as the Head of Public Affairs for the Americas. With a professional background in international philanthropy and politics, Payal has worked for a wide range of public sector organizations including the World Affairs Council, the Global Philanthropy Forum and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Payal also worked on foreign policy for the Office of President William J. Clinton.

Payal has a BA with honors from Stanford University and an MBA and an MPA from New York University.

Sally Gilligan is the Chief Supply Chain and Transformation Officer for Gap Inc. leading the company’s critical sourcing, supply chain, logistics and sustainability operations, and setting the long-term strategic direction of Gap Inc. along with members of the Senior Leadership Team.

Sally has been with Gap Inc. for over 19 years, serving in a variety of roles in the organization with a focus on transformation, capability building and optimization. As Chief Growth Transformation Officer, she led the strategic planning and new business development operations as well as government affairs and sustainability.

Prior to joining Gap Inc., Sally worked in management consulting and financial services. She holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

She serves as Chair of the Gap Foundation, and additionally serves on the board of directors for the American Apparel & Footwear Association and Big Commerce, and on the CXO Advisory Board for Sierra Ventures.

As a member of the Better Work global senior management team and acting co-head of the programme, Roopa Nair oversees the technical teams focused on thematic priorities and policy coherence within the ILO and with industry partners; the global business engagement team; and teams leading key supply chain collaborations. She has oversight of the country programmes in Egypt, Jordan, and Madagascar. She represents Better Work in the Senior Management Team of Governance and Tripartism and the Governance, Rights, and Dialogue Cluster.

Prior to joining the ILO, Roopa worked in the non-profit and corporate sectors in Asia, Europe, and North America, working in the apparel, footwear, accessories, electronics and agriculture sectors. Most recently, she was Vice-President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights at PVH Corp.

Roopa graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, in England and has a BA and MA from McGill University, in Canada.

JJ Park is the Chief Executive Officer of ShinWon Corporation and Executive Board member of ShinWon Foundation.

He started his career as a financial analyst at Daishin Securities and he joined ShinWon in 2006 as the Knit Sales Manager. In ShinWon, he has worked in various pivotal roles within the organization.

In 2014, Mr. Park became the President of the Export Division, successfully managing the Knit, Sweater, and Wader manufacturing business. His remarkable leadership and dedication led to his appointment as CEO of ShinWon Corporation in 2016. In this role, he not only oversaw the export division but also managed the company's retail operations in the dynamic markets of Korea and China.

Mr. Park's impact extends beyond the business world. Since 2006, he has been an active member of the ShinWon Foundation's Executive Board. He has consistently shown his strong dedication to serving communities in Korea and across 13 other countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Indalecio Pérez is the Sustainability Engagement Director at the Inditex Group. Before Indalecio joined Inditex’s Corporate Social Sustainability department in 2004, he was appointed Controller of Megasa, participating in the integration of the Portuguese National Steel Company. He started his career in September 2000 at Arthur Andersen as a finance accountant.

Indalecio has been a Lecturer of Business Ethics at the University of Deusto. He is a graduate in Business Administration from the University of Deusto and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of A Coruña.