Michael Clements to lead the organisation from Johannesburg, South Africa

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), a global organisation working at the intersection of business and human rights, has announced the appointment of Michael Clements as its new Executive Director.

Michael brings a unique blend of extensive expertise in business and human rights, alongside her internationally-focused legal background and private sector experience. She will be leading the organisation from Johannesburg, South Africa.

Michael has served as BHRRC’s Director of International Programmes since 2022, during which time she has been a key driver of the organisation’s strategic direction across its work on the just energy transition, labour rights in supply chains, technology and human rights, civic freedom and human rights defenders, corporate legal accountability, and racial and gender justice.

Michael Clements said: "It is an enormous honour to be appointed the new Executive Director of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre – particularly at this critical time. Over the last three years as Director of International Programmes, I’ve seen our committed team go from strength to strength, together with partners and allies all over the world, to make real change happen. This is a turbulent moment for our movement, but also one of clear opportunity, and it is a privilege to lead an organisation so determined to achieve its mission of delivering a just economy, climate justice and ending corporate abuse.”

As Executive Director, Michael will lead worldwide impact and strategy, oversee global operations, advance advocacy, research and fundraising initiatives, and strengthen engagement with stakeholders including civil society, business leaders and governments. She will start in the role on 1 January 2026.

Commenting on the appointment, Chris Jochnick, Chair of the Board, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Michael Clements to lead the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Following months of in-depth search and interviews, the Board unanimously agreed that Michael was the strongest and best qualified candidate to lead the organisation into its next phase of growth. Her strategic vision, coupled with her extensive experience in the field – from Director of a South African public interest legal organisation to Vice President of a mining company – makes us certain that Michael will be invaluable as we continue to hold companies accountable and support communities affected by corporate harms around the world. In the context of today’s turbulent global political, policy and economic waters – and related challenges in the business and human rights arena – we feel Michael will bring incisive leadership to this next phase of the organisation’s life.”

Michael’s professional history includes extensive experience in both the private and non-profit sectors, and in the business & human rights arena.

Before joining BHRRC in 2022 as Director of International Programmes, she worked as Acting Director and Head of Programmes at Lawyers for Human Rights, a South African public interest legal organisation. There, she previously led its Environmental Rights Programme, focused on representing communities pressing for corporate accountability, particularly of the extractive sector. She was with Lawyers for Human Rights from 2015 – 2021. She is a member of the New York State Bar.

Her further professional background includes:

• Litigation Associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in New York (2010-2014), focusing on international arbitration and domestic litigation.
• Postgraduate Fellow in Business and Human Rights at Columbia University’s Human Rights Institute (2010).
• Trial Chambers Clerk at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at the Hague (2008)
• Corporate Affairs Manager, then VP - Investor Relations, at AngloGold Ashanti Limited in Johannesburg, South Africa (2001-2007).

Phil Bloomer, outgoing Executive Director, said: “I am delighted with the Board’s appointment of Michael as our new Executive Director. Having worked with Michael closely over the last three years, I have been constantly impressed with her thirst for impact, strategic insight, organisational wisdom and courage. I know Michael will provide the leadership to continue our mission to work with partners and allies worldwide to put human rights at the heart of business.” 

Interviews with Michael Clements can be arranged upon request. 

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Notes to editors: 

• Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) is an international NGO that tracks the human rights impacts of companies across the globe. With partners and allies worldwide, BHRRC seeks to put human rights at the heart of business to deliver a just economy, climate justice, and end abuse.
• Michael Clements biography: Michael Clements, based in South Africa, was appointed the Resource Centre’s Executive Director in 2025, after she joined in 2022 as the Director of International Programmes. Before joining us, Michael worked as Acting Director and Head of Programmes at Lawyers for Human Rights, a South African public interest legal organisation, where she previously led the organisation’s Environmental Rights Programme. Her work there focused on business and human rights, working alongside civil society organisations and communities affected by abuse pushing for corporate accountability and respect for rights in the extractive sector. Previously, she worked at a major Wall Street law firm, specialising in international arbitration and litigation, and prior to this for a mining company, in both corporate affairs and investor relations.  She is a member of the New York State Bar and holds a BA in Latin American History from Barnard College and a JD from Columbia University School of Law.
• Interviews with Michael can be arranged upon request.