Our Team
Staff
Björn Skorpen Claeson
Executive Director
bclaeson@electronicswatch.org Based in Sweden, Björn has more than 15 years experience addressing public procurement and labour rights in global supply chains. He cofounded the US national advocacy network SweatFree Communities, which has been instrumental in dozens of state and local campaign successes aimed at using taxpayer money to protect workers' rights in global supply chains. He helped set up a US national network of public sector buyers, the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium, to encourage public sector buyers to address labour rights in global supply chains collaboratively. Björn also served as Senior Policy Analyst with the Washington DC based International Labor Rights Forum, authoring several reports on labour rights and safety in Bangladeshi apparel factories. He is trained in cultural anthropology with a Ph. D. from the Johns Hopkins University.
Cindy Berman
Director of Impact and Innovation
cberman@electronicswatch.org Cindy has championed social justice and worked on human rights issues internationally for over 35 years. She has held senior positions at the UN, national government, multilateral agencies, civil society organisations, multi-stakeholder initiatives, philanthropies, academic institutions and worked as an independent consultant. Her expertise lies in business and human rights due diligence, corporate accountability, modern slavery, labour standards, gender equality and international development. She has lived and worked extensively in Asia, Africa and Europe. She tutors at the University of Cambridge on the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business and sits on several Advisory Boards. She holds master's degrees from University College London and Witwatersrand University in South Africa.
Haëndila Varela
Project Coordinator
hvarela@electronicswatch.org Based in France, Haëndila has sound experience in the non-profit sector, mostly providing legal and programme management support to human rights organizations in Switzerland, France and South Africa. She has experience with the planning and implementation of human rights-related projects, budget management, the organization of events and providing administrative and logistical support. She developed an interest and expertise in business and human rights while working on topics including access to remedy, operational-level grievance mechanisms and corporate accountability. Before joining Electronics Watch, she worked as an independent consultant for NGOs and international organizations. She holds a bachelor's degree in Private Law from Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 University and a Master's degree in Public international law from Aix-Marseille University.
Harriet Edwards
Communications and Events Manager
hedwards@electronicswatch.org Harriet has 10 years communications experience in the field of economic development as part of an international NGO, working closely with partners from all over the world to bring visibility to their work. An experienced moderator of webinars, she has also supported and organized in-person events in China, Turkey, Iran, Spain, Luxembourg, Mexico and Kenya. She began her career in London in the UK public sector, with roles in the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. Based in Spain, Harriet holds an MA in French and European History from the University of Edinburgh, and a postgraduate diploma in French and English translation from the University of London in Paris.
Isabel Menéndez
Finance Director
imenendez@electronicswatch.org Based in Madrid, Isabel has more than 25 years of experience as a Finance Manager in NGOs, including SETEM, Fairtrade Iberica, Peace Brigades International and Fundación Atenea, where she managed funds from various public and private organisations from different countries and the European Union. Isabel has a degree in Business Administration with a specialization in auditing from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and has taken postgraduate courses on auditing, applied economics and accounting and taxation of non-profit organisations.
Kate Sullivan
Director of Affiliate Engagement
ksullivan@electronicswatch.org Kate has spent the last 10 years working in international affairs, primarily on issues related to peacebuilding and global governance. She has expertise in partnership design, stakeholder management, strategic planning and policy development. Prior to joining Electronics Watch, she held positions at the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, the Global Challenges Foundation, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Global Partnership Alliance and United Technologies Corporation. Kate is a returned U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer and a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. She holds a Master in Public Administration from the George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.
Marisol Bernal
Affiliate Engagement Manager
mbernal@electronicswatch.org Marisol has specialised knowledge in sustainability and public procurement, including environment, human rights, social value and procurement regulations and procedures. She has a Diploma in Procurement and Supply from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. She previously worked as Responsible Procurement Lead at the London Universities Purchasing Consortium, where she developed and implemented the responsible procurement strategic plan, which included the implementation of supply chain due diligence, the assessment and assistance for supplier and member commitment to combat modern slavery, and the investigation of opportunities for collaborative work with external bodies. She assisted higher education, and other not-for-profit organisations in the arts, science, charity, and wider public sector by embedding responsible procurement within their sourcing processes. She holds a Master's Degree in International and Commercial Law from the University of Greenwich and a Law degree from Universidad del Rosario, Colombia.
Martina Hooper
Director of Communications
mhooper@electronicswatch.org Based in Barcelona, Martina led the €1million EC project for the development of Electronics Watch since its conception, and has worked on labour rights projects for the last 10 years - first at Birmingham City Council's International Department, and subsequently at the Spanish NGO SETEM, where she has led multi-country projects on the topics of labour rights and socially responsible public procurement in the garment and electronics industries. She has spent time working for NGOs in Peru and Sierra Leone, and has a BA degree in Philosophy & French from Leeds University, and an MSc degree in International Development Studies from the School of Oriental & African Studies, London.
Omana George
Monitoring and Civil Society Engagement Manager
ogeorge@electronicswatch.org Omana has been an organizer and promoter of occupational health and safety in Asia with 17 years of regional experience in the area of labour rights. She played an essential role in building and supporting the Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational and Environmental Victims (ANROEV), a network of grassroots organizations in more than 20 countries and territories in Asia. She has carried out trainings and other OSH initiatives in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, India, Mexico and Nepal with trade unions and worker organizations in the electronics industry and in other sectors like garments and construction. Omana was recently awarded the Rachel Lee Jung-Lim Award in memory of the life of this campaigner for a global asbestos ban. She holds a Master's degree from the University of Madras.
Peter Pawlicki
Director of Monitoring
ppawlicki@electronicswatch.org Based in Germany, Peter has more 10 years of experience researching the globalisation of the electronics industry and its effects on working conditions and labour rights. He has been part of several international research projects on contract manufacturing and has co-authored, "From Silicon Valley to Shenzhen: Global Production and Work in the IT Industry." Before coming to Electronics Watch he coordinated European Social Fund-financed projects at IG Metall, focusing on works council trainings. Peter has an MA in Political Science and PhD in Sociology from Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University, having focused his doctorate on "Engineers and Work in Global Design Networks of the Semiconductor Industry."
Petra Krčmářová
Data and Project Coordinator
pkrcmarova@electronicswatch.org Based in Belgium, Petra has previously worked in the non-profit sector in the area of education, energy efficiency, product safety and compliance with EU legislation. Her expertise lies in the management and administration of large international projects including contract management, project participants support as well as research and data management. She holds a Master's Degree in Economics and Management from the Technical University of Ostrava in Czechia.
Rocío Paniagua
Low Emission Vehicle Programme Manager
rpaniagua@electronicswatch.org Before joining Electronics Watch, Rocío headed the Business Integrity Programme at Transparency International-UK. She coordinated and led the delivery of the Programme's products, services, advocacy and communications strategies, to achieve real change in the fight against corruption. Previously, Rocío worked as a Senior Legal Manager with the International Bar Association Legal Policy & Research Unit, where she led projects in the areas of corporate and judicial integrity, and business and human rights. A member of the Madrid Bar Association, she has previously worked as a Legal Officer in the International Department of the Spanish National Bar Association and in two major re-insurers in London and Dublin. Rocío has a law degree at the Autónoma University of Madrid and undertook additional law studies at the Roma Tre University in Italy and the Complutense University of Madrid, where she earned a Masters in International Cooperation for Development.
Simon Gray
IT Manager
sgray@electronicswatch.org Simon has a long history of working with IT systems and infrastructure, supporting corporate networks throughout Europe. He subsequently founded and managed IT support companies working with SMEs in primarily Microsoft and Google environments, helping organisations transition to the new reality of cloud and remote working. He has managed several large cloud migration projects and has in-depth experience in Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and Azure. He has worked as a Cyber security tester for the UK CE and CE Plus schemes, auditing government suppliers, public sector bodies and private companies. Based in mid-Wales, he also volunteers with local community groups including the South Gwynedd Foodbank and Community Hub, assisting with their processes and volunteer training.
Consultants
Nuala Keyser
Finance Manager
nkeyser@electronicswatch.org Based in Amsterdam, Nuala has more than 18 years relevant experience in the financial sector. After working with an accounting firm for over 11 years, she choose to start her own business in accounting and focused on non-profit organizations. For Electronics Watch, Nuala is responsible for daily financial (project) administration. She assists in drafting budgets, interim internal financial reports and the annual accounts. Nuala holds a degree in AA Accountancy from the Hanzehogeschool Groningen.
Olga Martin-Ortega
Senior Advisor for Remediation in Global Supply Chains
Olga is Professor of International Law at the School of Law, University of Greenwich, where she leads the Business, Human Rights and the Environment Research Group (BHRE). She has been researching business and human rights for over ten years and is an expert on public procurement and human rights, human rights in global supply chains and due diligence. She has also undertaken extensive research in the areas of post-conflict reconstruction, transitional justice and international criminal law. Olga was a member of the Board of Trustees of Electronics Watch from 2014 to 2022 and she has been on the Board of Directors of the London Universities Purchasing Consortium since 2015 and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Corporate Justice Coalition UK since 2018. She is a founding member and currently coordinates the International Learning Lab on Procurement and Human Rights. Olga works with the Modern Slavery Prevention Unit of the UK Home Office, the Local Government Association, the Higher Education Procurement Academy and the OSCE training public sector buyers, producing professional guidance and supporting them in their development of human rights due diligence in their supply chain and modern slavery reporting. She has advised the EU Parliament on mandatory human rights due diligence regulation and worked with the ILO on Fair Labour Recruitment and Human Rights.