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As global supply chains grow increasingly complex, investors face mounting pressure to address human rights risks across high-risk sectors such as technology, renewables, and garments. From forced labour to child exploitation, and persistent wage and safety violations, these challenges pose significant legal, reputational, and financial risks. Brought to you by the RIAA Human Rights Working Group, this panel will explore how investors can leverage influence to drive responsible practices, comply with emerging due diligence regulations, and integrate human rights considerations into investment strategies. Together with this panel of experts, explore these risks through practical tools and sector-specific case studies.
NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner
Dr James Cockayne is NSW’s first independent Anti-slavery Commissioner, with responsibilities that include helping NSW public buyers ensure they do not buy products of modern slavery. Prior to his appointment, James worked with Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Liechtenstein and the Netherlands to found and lead Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST), developing the FAST Blueprint and training over 15,000 finance professionals in anti-slavery measures. Later, he helped stand up Investors Against Slavery and Trafficking-APAC. James has also advised multilateral development banks, export credit agencies and institutional investors on modern slavery in ESG strategies. James previously spent two decades working in international affairs, serving as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Equity and Social Justice, leading the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research in New York, the US Council on Foreign Relations Study Group on Human Trafficking, the Center for Global Counterterrorism Cooperation’s work in New York and Africa, and the Transnational Crime Unit of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department in Canberra.
Senior Director, ESG and Stewardship Investments at AustralianSuper
Clare leads the Fund’s ESG and stewardship program for Australian listed equities. She works closely with the Australian listed equities team to identify and manage ESG risks and opportunities, including oversight of the voting and engagement program with portfolio companies. From 2022 to 2025, Clare served on the Investors Against Slavery and Trafficking Steering Committee and co‑led the company engagement workstream.
Clare has over 20 years’ experience in ESG and sustainability, having previously worked at TelstraSuper and IFM Investors, and led the Sustainability team at Transurban.
General Manager - Sustainability Strategy & Human Rights at Woolworths Group
As GM for Human Rights at the Woolworths Group, I have solid experience leading the strategy and program of work designed to identify, mitigate and remedy key human rights risks across a large and complicated global supply chain. I am also the Co-Chair of the Consumer Goods Forum Human Rights Coalition, which seeks to bring together some of the worlds largest global companies to work together to collectively address the challenges of modern slavery and worker exploitation in global supply chains. I am passionate about human rights and embedding a rights respecting culture throughout our E2E value chain and hope to play my part to proactively help make the world a better place.
