Event
Business and Human Rights Network: Practitioner Insight talks
Tuesday 12 March 2024 - Tuesday 26 March 2024
Spring semester 2024
This series is intended to benefit students on the LLM Business and Human Rights (LW51128) and Corporate Sustainability and ESG Law (LW52146) Modules. However, the events are open to all graduate and undergraduate students and staff across the University of Dundee School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law & Policy (CEPMLP) and School of Business.
The series is convened and chaired by Dr Claire Methven O’Brien, Reader in Law and Director of the University of Dundee LLM Business and Human Rights.
Session 1
Speaker Tulika Bansal
Independent Business and Human Rights Expert
Title: Human Rights Impacts in the Fisheries and Aquaculture sectors: Cases from across the globe
Location: Scrymgeour 4.01
Date: Tuesday 12 March
Time: 17:00
Tulika Bansal is Business and Human Rights expert and independent consultant with 17 years experience working with multinational companies, governments, national human rights institutions, UN agencies and civil society organizations looking at human rights impacts in different sectors. For 12+ years she worked at the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR), where she co-led the Institute's work on human rights impact assessment, and conducted over 20 such impact assessments across the globe in various sectors including agriculture, tourism, oil and gas, and more recently in fisheries and aquaculture. She led and participated in such in-depth field assessments in the Chilean salmon farming industry, the Bangladesh capture fisheries sector and the Honduran lobster fishing sector, documenting the human rights issues in these industries and calling for action by companies and governments. Tulika's geographical expertise lies in Latin America and Asia, and she is now based in India.
Session 2
Speaker Ms Julie Vallat
Vice President Ethics Human Rights, L’Oréal
Title: TBC
Location: Scrymgeour 2.12
Date Friday 15 March
Time 14:00
Before joining L’Oréal, Julie Vallat worked from 2000 as Legal Counsel for not-for-profit organizations, such as “Medecins du Monde” (French Doctors).
She then served from 2004 as Legal Counsel for the National French Department of Justice – Central Authority Division – in charge of implementing some International Treaties and Conventions, including Hague conventions against child abduction, and European conventions related to legal aid.
From 2006 she was a Barrister (Paris Bar) in the law firm Veil Jourde and partners, specializing in Human Rights and International Law, in particular in Burma.
During ten years, from 2009 to 2019, Julie Vallat was Head of Human Rights at Total, within the Corporate Legal Department / Compliance & Social Responsibility Division. Expert in international law, she managed a team of lawyers and lead a global network of local representatives to address human rights and socio-environmental risks in complex environments across the world, drawing up innovative solutions to enabling compliance with UN standards.
In June 2019, she joined L’Oréal as VP Ethics and Human Rights. In partnership with internal and external experts, she is mapping human rights risks and emerging issues to build roadmaps and appropriate action plans.
Session 3
Speaker Mr. Shan Saba
Director, Brightwork Staffline Ltd., Founder, Scotland Against Modern Slavery
Title: Business and Human Rights: A global company perspective (tbc)
Location: Scrymgeour 2.08 (HTS) (capacity 60)
Date: Friday 22 March
Time: 12:00
Session 4
Speaker Dr James Sinclair
Director of Consulting Sustainable Procurement and Human Rights, Verisk Maplecroft
Title: Top Down, Bottom Up or Both: how best to identify and treat business and human rights impacts
Location: Dalhousie 3G02 LT1 (HTS) (capacity 120)
Date: Tuesday 26 March
Time: 14:00
James is Director of Consulting within the Sustainable Procurement and Human Rights team at Verisk Maplecroft. He is an English lawyer and commercial advisor with 22 years' experience, 17 of which have been in relation to sustainable business practices and international human rights law.
James began his career as a barrister in London and then developed an international litigation practice in Jersey. In 2006 he co-founded a UN award winning organisation that has led the development of the ‘fair labour’ method in South Asia, the Middle East and East Africa. He has been at the forefront of the responsible business agenda since 2007 and has worked with and advised governments, companies, NGOs and industry groups on evolving BHR laws, norms and practices.
In addition to his legal qualifications and experience, James holds degrees in philosophy, politics, economics, international relations and a PhD in international human rights law and political economy from King’s College London. He has published research and thought leadership on responsible business practices in several peer reviewed journals and books.
James specialises in creating clarity from complexity and has a keen understanding of the way in which corporate accountability and human rights laws and practices are developing around the world.