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.
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.
This report examines the opportunity to expand financial inclusion for women in India’s garment sector by increasing women’s access to and use of mobile financial products and services.
This report examines the opportunity to expand financial inclusion for women in India’s garment sector by increasing women’s access to and use of mobile financial products and services.
Chhavi leads HERproject’s financial inclusion work globally, including programs and research on wage digitization, and oversees the overall program strategy for corporate engagement and private-sector partnerships on expanding access to products and services for low-income women.
Prior to joining BSR, Chhavi worked for a socially responsible investment firm, where he combined financial and ESG analysis to make sustainable investment recommendations. He also spent several years as an operations manager for Oracle’s Asia-Pacific and Americas regions, opening a new operation in India. He has also developed a CSR strategy for a spirits company in Mexico, developed sustainability reports for companies in India and Saudi Arabia, and worked as a freelance CSR consultant for the Institute of Public Health. He speaks English, Spanish, and Hindi.
Chhavi holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business and an M.A. in International Studies from the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a B.A. in English and Computer Science from Rutgers 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.
A new evaluation of the HERhealth model, conducted by the Evidence Project/Population Council, offers important evidence and recommendations for effective programming to improve the health of women workers in garment factories in Bangladesh and elsewhere.
This brief, written in partnership with the UN Foundation and The Evidence Project/Meridian Group International, Inc., expands this business case for private sector investment in women’s health and empowerment.
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.
A baseline evaluation of the HERhealth model, conducted by the Evidence Project/Population Council, offers important evidence and recommendations for effective programming to improve the health of women workers in garment factories in Bangladesh and elsewhere.
Leveraging 10 years of experience of helping empower women in global supply chains, BSR’s HERproject conducted this scoping study to provide a snapshot of the buyers, factories, and other stakeholders active in the industry and key trends that influence their operations in Ethiopia.
