HERproject and IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative, are pleased to release a new brief on the importance of integrating a gender lens into financial inclusion programs.
Lauren leads BSR’s HERproject programs in East Africa, working with companies and civil society to build inclusive workplaces in global supply chains.
She also oversees HERproject’s strategy for monitoring and evaluation and program sustainability and contributes to BSR’s women’s empowerment practice.
Previously, Lauren worked at the Social Science Research Council in New York, where she conducted research on migration, development, and human rights. Lauren’s consulting experience includes giving advice on best practices for monitoring and evaluation for the Center for Socio-Economic Development and developing recommendations on the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals agenda for UNDP. With a focus on sustainability in emerging markets, Lauren has led research projects on value chain development and women’s empowerment in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Vietnam.
Lauren holds an M.A. in Public Affairs from Sciences Po and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University.
HERproject Team
Lucia Flores
Associate, HERproject | Paris
Lucia supports the implementation of BSR’s HERproject in India with a focus on financial inclusion and the HERfinance program. She collaborates with companies, factories, and local community organizations to contribute to women’s empowerment in global supply chains.
Prior to joining BSR, Lucia was an independent consultant in Mexico for two microfinance organizations serving women in rural and indigenous communities. In this role, she developed an impact assessment model to help the organizations measure their contribution to financial inclusion and women’s empowerment. Before that, she was a financial services consultant at PwC in Paris where she led implementation of risk and compliance programs for multinational banks.
Lucia holds a Master’s in Management and an M.A. in Political Philosophy and Ethics, both from Paris-Sorbonne University. She has B.A. in Philosophy from Toulouse University and is fluent in Spanish, French, and English.
HERproject Team
Margaux Yost
Manager | Paris
Margaux is the global lead for HERproject’s health pillar and oversees the program’s expansion in East Africa by strengthening multistakeholder partnerships to open industry-level roundtable dialogues in supply chains. Furthermore, she develops HERproject’s monitoring and evaluation framework.
She also supports BSR’s wider women’s empowerment practice by applying a gender-sensitive lens to research and social auditing methodologies and conducting field research in frontier markets.
Margaux has global health experience in program management, design, and monitoring and evaluation, with a particular interest in behavior change communication development programs. Her expertise draws from field experience as a health advisor in the U.S. Peace Corps and social research and program management positions at M&C Saatchi World Services, The Hunger Project, and the International Medical Corps.
Margaux holds an M.S. in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Toronto.
Leading global brands and their suppliers are putting their weight behind efforts to address violence against women through workplace-based interventions.
Communications Associate, Collaborative Initiatives | Paris
Dominic provides communications support for BSR’s Collaborative Initiatives, with a particular focus on HERproject, the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network, and the Clean Cargo Working Group.
Before joining BSR, Dominic worked in the global communications team at ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, where he managed the blog, implemented digital strategies, and provided writing and editing services. Prior to this he worked as an editor and social media coordinator at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society.
Dominic holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Cambridge. He is fluent in English, French, and German.
HERproject Team
Lauren Shields
Manager | Paris
Lauren leads BSR’s HERproject programs in East Africa, working with companies and civil society to build inclusive workplaces in global supply chains.
She also oversees HERproject’s strategy for monitoring and evaluation and program sustainability and contributes to BSR’s women’s empowerment practice.
Previously, Lauren worked at the Social Science Research Council in New York, where she conducted research on migration, development, and human rights. Lauren’s consulting experience includes giving advice on best practices for monitoring and evaluation for the Center for Socio-Economic Development and developing recommendations on the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals agenda for UNDP. With a focus on sustainability in emerging markets, Lauren has led research projects on value chain development and women’s empowerment in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Vietnam.
Lauren holds an M.A. in Public Affairs from Sciences Po and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University.
Violence against women (VAW) is a human rights violation and a barrier to achieving inclusive growth and sustainable business. An estimated 35 percent of women
worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner rape at some point in their lives. Unacceptable rates of violence
and harassment extend well beyond the home into the world of work, as clearly demonstrated by the #MeToo movement.
Lauren leads BSR’s HERproject programs in East Africa, working with companies and civil society to build inclusive workplaces in global supply chains.
She also oversees HERproject’s strategy for monitoring and evaluation and program sustainability and contributes to BSR’s women’s empowerment practice.
Previously, Lauren worked at the Social Science Research Council in New York, where she conducted research on migration, development, and human rights. Lauren’s consulting experience includes giving advice on best practices for monitoring and evaluation for the Center for Socio-Economic Development and developing recommendations on the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals agenda for UNDP. With a focus on sustainability in emerging markets, Lauren has led research projects on value chain development and women’s empowerment in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Vietnam.
Lauren holds an M.A. in Public Affairs from Sciences Po and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University.
HERproject Team
Dominic Kotas
Communications Associate, Collaborative Initiatives | Paris
Dominic provides communications support for BSR’s Collaborative Initiatives, with a particular focus on HERproject, the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network, and the Clean Cargo Working Group.
Before joining BSR, Dominic worked in the global communications team at ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, where he managed the blog, implemented digital strategies, and provided writing and editing services. Prior to this he worked as an editor and social media coordinator at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society.
Dominic holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Cambridge. He is fluent in English, French, and German.
We are proud to launch a new strategy for HERproject to double our impact and improve the well-being, confidence, and economic potential of women working in global supply chains.
Christine leads BSR’s HERproject—our women's empowerment workplace program that brings together global and local companies, business associations, and donors to support women in global supply chains through health, finance, and other curricula.
With more than 15 years working in international development, Christine has substantial global experience in women’s economic empowerment, private-sector development, financial inclusion, value chain development, enterpreneurship, cross-sector partnerships, and social enterprise.
Prior to BSR, Christine was the director of women’s economic empowerment at CARE International, leading the organization’s global work to support 30 million women and give them greater access to and control over economic resources and opportunities. Before that, Christine led CARE International’s work on private-sector development, focusing on inclusive business models and bottom-of-the-pyramid social enterprise development, and significantly expanding CARE’s strategic engagement with companies. Christine also previously worked on building leadership training programs for sustainable development at Lead International and for the United Nations Development Programme. She speaks English, Spanish and Danish.
Christine holds an M.S. in International Development and Business and a B.S. in International Business and Modern Languages, both from Copenhagen Business School. She also holds an Advanced Business Management degree from IESE Business School.
Dominic Kotas, Communications Associate, Collaborative Initiatives | Paris
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is high in Bangladesh (27% during the last 12 months), new study reveals even higher rates, almost double, amongst female garment workers (53%) and of those 40% are reporting symptoms of depression. The UK aid-funded study released today by the icddr,b and BSR’s HERproject reveal business can play a leading role in preventing and addressing IPV, by leveraging the workplace as platforms of positive social change.
Communications Associate, Collaborative Initiatives | Paris
Dominic provides communications support for BSR’s Collaborative Initiatives, with a particular focus on HERproject, the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network, and the Clean Cargo Working Group.
Before joining BSR, Dominic worked in the global communications team at ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, where he managed the blog, implemented digital strategies, and provided writing and editing services. Prior to this he worked as an editor and social media coordinator at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society.
Dominic holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Cambridge. He is fluent in English, French, and German.
Marat Yu, Former Manager | Hong Kong; Dominic Kotas, Communications Associate, Collaborative Initiatives | Paris
Business has a key role to play in addressing the systemic issue of violence against women in and beyond the workplace. Here are some examples of how to lead.
Communications Associate, Collaborative Initiatives | Paris
Dominic provides communications support for BSR’s Collaborative Initiatives, with a particular focus on HERproject, the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network, and the Clean Cargo Working Group.
Before joining BSR, Dominic worked in the global communications team at ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, where he managed the blog, implemented digital strategies, and provided writing and editing services. Prior to this he worked as an editor and social media coordinator at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society.
Dominic holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Cambridge. He is fluent in English, French, and German.
DR. RITUPARNA MAJUMDAR, Founder and Principal Head, Etico Consultancy
BSR has developed the "Women's Safety in the Workplace" toolkit, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CII-ITC CESD), and in consultation with its members, to provide guidance for companies seeking to strengthen their own policies and activities that prevent and address sexual harassment.
James supports BSR’s women’s empowerment work by implementing HERproject activities in India and Kenya. He coordinates relationships with local implementing partners that maximize private-sector engagement in HERproject.
Prior to BSR, James worked for International Development NGO VSO in Tanzania where he managed private-sector engagement across the county office’s programming portfolio. Other assignments for VSO included strategizing and supporting private-sector engagement in India and working directly with global private-sector partners in remote communities in Bangladesh on core business issues. He also previously worked for the Performance Review Institute on quality assurance and professional development in the international aerospace supply chain where he led market expansion efforts in Russia.
James holds a B.S. in International Development from University of East Anglia, where his studies focused on the role of the environment and people’s livelihoods in poverty reduction.
Magali Barraja, Former Manager | Paris; Maria Pontes, Former Manager
While codes of conduct are the most widespread tools companies use to drive sustainability and human rights expectations throughout the supply chain, they don’t yet effectively frame and address the specific risks facing women.
Violence against women is one of the world’s greatest social, economic, and public health problems, pervading the home, workplace, and community. The newly-launched HERrespect will help business to tackle violence against women by positively changing the social norms that underpin gendered violence.
