Valentina E Gurney webinar speaker

I joined DNVGL’s Business Assurance in January of 2020 to leverage the development of products and services with focus on human rights in supply chains. My experience bridges the areas of standard development, certification, policy analysis and policy development for the private sector, socially responsible investment, field research, remediation strategy development and advocacy on the topics of forced labour, migrant labour, child labour, human trafficking as well as environmental due diligence across commodities, industries and geo-political environments.
Prior to DNVGL I served as a Programme Officer at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Migration Agency, where I supported implementation and management of IOM Thailand-led regional and national labour migration projects with the private sector in the framework of IOM’s CREST(Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking) and lead CREST Fashion – a regional initiative that focuses on strengthening apparel and footwear industry’s commitment and capacity to maximize impact in eliminating egregious human rights violations and promotion of ethical recruitment in supply chains across Thailand, India and Bangladesh. In this capacity I also lead unit’s research on labor migration in Asia-Pacific region, implementation of ethical recruitment practices and the role of businesses in tackling labour exploitation of migrant workers. My work with investors at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility in New York City, a coalition of over 300 global institutional investors with more than USD 400 billion in managed assets, focused on shareholder advocacy to press and engage companies on environmental, social, and governance issues. My research, analysis, and program evaluation focusing mainly on palm oil and seafood sectors were geared towards developing a set of tools for companies and investors to move business community towards more expansive traceability, risk assessment and remediation throughout supply chains. Similarly, at As You Sow’ Responsible Sourcing Network I managed the Cotton Program tackling child labour and forced labour in Central Asia and led engagement with the US and European apparel industry and investors on the issues of human rights, responsible sourcing of raw materials and cotton traceability to producer.

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