Human rights due diligence is no longer simply a legal or ethical concern: it’s a leadership challenge. The ability to identify, assess and manage human rights risks now depends as much on people and capability, as on policies. Boards and executive teams must therefore ensure their organisations have the right expertise and culture in place, to deliver credible human rights governance across global operations, supply chains and investments.
The talent challenge in human rights governance
As global expectations rise, more organisations are struggling to find professionals who can navigate the intersection of law, ethics, sustainability and strategy. Human rights knowledge is no longer confined to CSR teams; it’s needed across legal, procurement, risk, technology, operations and leadership roles.
Boards therefore need to ask: do we have the right people, in the right places, to effectively manage human rights risks and opportunities?
Six questions boards should ask themselves:
1. Does our governance structure have the expertise to oversee human rights risks?
- Is there board-level knowledge or committee oversight of human rights, ESG and compliance matters?
- Do senior leaders have the capability to interpret global regulatory and ethical standards?
- Have we appointed or engaged specialists who can translate complex human rights principles into actionable frameworks?
2. Have we embedded human rights expertise throughout the organisation?
- Beyond the ESG or legal teams, who understands human rights impacts in operations, technology, procurement and client engagement?
- Are we hiring, training and empowering people across functions to recognise and manage human rights risks?
- Are line managers equipped to lead responsibly in markets where labour or community risks are higher?
3. Do we have the right skills to identify and assess salient human rights risks?
- Has the organisation developed a team (internal or external) that can perform credible human rights due diligence and impact assessments?
- Are our recruitment and training strategies designed to close capability gaps in high-risk geographies or sectors?
- Are we investing in continuous learning so teams can keep up with evolving global standards?
4. Who is leading our human rights due diligence processes?
- Is due diligence owned by people with deep cross-functional understanding – and not just within compliance, but supply chain, legal and people operations?
- Do we have talent in place who can manage third-party relationships with a human rights lens?
- Are we building diverse, multidisciplinary teams capable of balancing business growth with ethical governance?
5. Do we have experts who can manage and respond to human rights grievances effectively?
- Who designs, operates and reviews grievance mechanisms within our organisation or value chain?
- Do we have the right mix of legal, ethical and communications expertise to handle complaints and deliver fair remedies?
- Is there a culture of listening and accountability supported by skilled HR and compliance professionals?
6. Are we engaging the right stakeholders — and do we have the people who can build those relationships?
- Do we have in-house or advisory talent that understands how to engage with NGOs, communities, regulators and investors on human rights matters?
- Are our communications and investor relations teams trained to discuss ESG and human rights transparently and confidently?
- Do our leaders embody and promote a culture of respect, inclusion and global awareness?
How Leonid can help with human rights recruitment strategy
As a recruitment firm specialising in Compliance, Legal, ESG and Human Rights, at Leonid we build teams capable of driving meaningful change.
Here’s how Leonid guides and supports boards globally:
- Talent strategy: Map the key roles, skills and leadership qualities required for credible human rights governance.
- Advisory partnerships: Help boards understand how human rights and ESG capability should align with overall business strategy.
- Pipeline development: Build a diverse global talent pool with proven expertise in human rights due diligence, modern slavery prevention and ethical leadership.
- Interim and advisory talent: Providing experienced human rights professionals who can help organisations accelerate progress while permanent hires are made.
Final thought
Human rights excellence starts with human capital. The organisations that will thrive in the next decade are those that treat human rights not just as a compliance issue, but as a leadership competency.
If you would like to discuss your human rights hiring strategy, please contact Adam Bond - Leonid's human rights specialist recruiter - for a friendly discussion.
