BSR at Climate Week NYC and UNGA Week

New York

September 21-28

Scheduled Speakers

Lara Birkes, Managing Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Managing Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

San Francisco

Lara is responsible for leading BSR's Climate and Nature team globally and driving the organization’s work with Member companies' impact consulting, grants, and collaborative initiatives.

Lara is a sustainability and policy professional with over fifteen years of experience managing partnerships, sustainability initiatives and policy engagement with companies, international organizations, governments, and NGOs.

Prior to BSR, Lara was Global Head of Sustainability at Sonder, joining in 2020 to establish the corporate responsibility function, implementing policies to engrain responsible business practices across the company pre to post IPO.

She also serves on the Advisory Board of EQX Biome, a start-up working to mobilize financial markets to protect the world’s remaining biodiversity hotspots. In 2024 Lara started hosting a web series & podcast called Nature IS to raise awareness of the critical need for protection, conservation, and regeneration of biodiversity.

Lara holds a B.S. degree in International Business & Management from the University of Montana, a M.A. degree in International Trade Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California and is a World Economic Forum Global Leadership Fellow.

Recent Insights From Lara Birkes

Full Bio

Laura Donnelly, Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

New York

Laura leads BSR’s Nature team. Her focus is working with member companies to develop holistic and credible strategic approaches to address nature related impacts and dependencies. These engagements are conducted across industries, with an additional focus on understanding the linkages between nature and other areas of focus (e.g., human rights, climate, etc.).

Prior to joining BSR, Laura spent seven years on the markets transformation team at the Rainforest Alliance. Her role focused on engaging companies throughout agriculture supply chains in addressing risks and opportunities through incorporating nature-based solutions and interventions. This included working with companies from farm to market on their sustainability strategy utilizing the Rainforest Alliance program. Laura also has experience in the beauty industry, where she worked in brand management and marketing.

Laura holds a Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California and a BS in Business Administration from Boston University.

Recent Insights From Laura Donnelly

Full Bio

Ameer Azim, Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Washington, D.C.

Ameer leads BSR’s climate work in the US and works closely with BSR’s Technology sector companies.

Ameer helps BSR members develop strategies to implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and enhance business resilience through climate risk assessment using climate scenario analysis and planning. He also works with BSR member companies on developing resilient and sustainable value chains.

Ameer was previously working with BSR’s Financial Services sector companies and led the Business Alliance to Scale Climate Solutions, a BSR carbon markets collaborative initiative now known as the Beyond Alliance.

Prior to joining BSR, Ameer was the chief financial economist at Climate Advisers Trust and Orbitas, where he conducted research on climate scenario analysis and financial research for the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector and engaged institutional investors on deforestation risks in investment portfolios. Ameer also brings over a decade of capital markets experience at financial institutions like ABN Amro, Citi, and Barclays Bank.

Ameer holds a MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a BA in Economics and Government from College of William and Mary

Recent Insights From Ameer Azim

Full Bio

Julie Dugard, Associate Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Associate Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Paris

Julie serves as Manager of BSR’s Climate team, where she brings over 10 years of experience in corporate sustainability and climate action and supports BSR members with their climate strategies.

After joining BSR in 2021, Julie worked on multiple projects helping companies implementing TCFD recommendations, conducting climate scenario analysis (for the tech, financial and insurance industry), accelerating Net Zero transition, implementing just transition approaches (extractive industry) and scope 3 strategies (consumer goods sector). Since 2023, Julie manages BSR grant-funded work dedicated to Climate Transition Plans.

Julie is also co-developing BSR’s work on alternative business models addressing the tension between business growth and sustainability targets.

Prior to joining BSR, Julie worked in Mazars’s sustainability services and risk practice, where she audited and advised companies on their ESG data and internal audit, control and risk approaches. During her time within Mazars, Julie also spent six months at the Mexico City office.

Julie holds a master’s degree in business from Kedge Business School and spent one semester at the University of Nottingham and another one at the University of Technology of Sydney. She speaks French, English, and Spanish.

Recent Insights From Julie Dugard

Full Bio

Adam Fishman, Associate Director, Transformation, BSR

Associate Director, Transformation, BSR

New York

Adam works with BSR member companies across industries on sustainability management, including stakeholder engagement, materiality, strategy and reporting, among other topics.

Prior to BSR, Adam was a thematic expert on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, focusing on the linkages between climate, development, business, and sustainable consumption and production. He previously worked on the SDGs team at World Resources Institute. During his graduate studies, Adam interned at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and was a Coca-Cola World Fund fellow with Conservation International, researching the strategic connections between the SDGs and corporate sustainability.

Adam holds a Master’s in Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment, specializing in Business and the Environment. He has a BA in Environmental Studies and Government, with a concentration in International Politics, from Wesleyan University.

Recent Insights From Adam Fishman

Full Bio

Juliette Pugliesi, Former Manager, Climate and Nature, BSR

Aron Cramer, Chief Executive Officer, BSR

Chief Executive Officer, BSR

San Francisco

Aron is recognized globally as a preeminent authority on just and sustainable business. In addition to leading BSR, which has grown substantially throughout his tenure as President and CEO, Aron advises senior executives at BSR’s 300+ member companies and other global businesses and partners on the full spectrum of environmental, social, and governance issues.

Aron joined BSR in 1995 as the founding director of its Business and Human Rights program. He later opened BSR's Paris office in 2002, where he worked until becoming President and CEO in 2004. Aron has served on advisory boards to CEOs at AXA, Barrick Gold, Marks & Spencer, Nike, Recruit Holdings, SAP, Shell, and he serves as a director of the We Mean Business Coalition and RISE.

Aron speaks frequently at leading business and public fora and is widely quoted in top-tier media, such as the Financial Times, Le Figaro (France), The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Axios, and Politico. He is co-author of the book Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World, which spotlights innovative sustainability strategies that enable business success.

Prior to joining BSR, Aron practiced law in San Francisco and worked as a journalist at ABC News in New York. He holds a BA from Tufts University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Recent Insights From Aron Cramer

Full Bio

Kayla Winarsky McKenzie, Associate Director, Human Rights, BSR

Associate Director, Human Rights, BSR

New York

Kayla collaborates with BSR member companies on projects centering on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, focusing on companies within the consumer sectors industry cluster. Her areas of expertise include energy transition, anti-corruption, and gender.

Prior to joining BSR, Kayla spent several years advising multinational companies and investors on human rights as an Adviser at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, during which she also served as a Lecturer in Law at the University of Amsterdam, focusing on Business and Human Rights (BHR), international human rights, anti-corruption, and EU law. Previously, she worked on global anti-corruption investigations and cross-border white collar litigations as an Associate Attorney at the international law firm King & Spalding LLP, where she was the founding member of the firm's BHR initiative.

Kayla holds a JD and a Certificate in Global Human Rights from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, which included course work at the Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement, and a BA, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude from Tulane University.

Recent Insights From Kayla Winarsky McKenzie

Full Bio

Paloma Muñoz Quick, Director, Human Rights Standards, BSR

Director, Human Rights Standards, BSR

Copenhagen

Paloma leads BSR’s work on Human Rights Standards, including standard-setting, knowledge management, and helping companies respond to emerging standards and regulation. She is also Senior Advisor to BSR’s Finance & Human Rights Practice.

Prior to joining BSR, Paloma was Advisor to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights and Senior Consultant of the UN B-Tech Project, where she developed a vision for promoting the uptake of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights among investors and guidance on responsible investment in digital technologies. Prior to the UN, Paloma launched and led the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, where she developed thought leadership on the investor responsibility to respect human rights and supported stewardship engagements across industries. She also worked at the Danish Institute for Human Rights advising companies, governments, and civil society on business and human rights.

Paloma is a member of the US government’s Advisory Committee on Responsible Business Conduct. She sits on the Editorial Board of Developments in the Field of the Business and Human Rights Journal of Cambridge University.

She holds a Master of International Affairs (M.I.A.) in Human Rights from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a B.A. in Political Science, also from Columbia University.

Paloma is Chilean-American and is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Recent Insights From Paloma Muñoz Quick

Full Bio

Claudio Formisano, Global Lead, Human Trafficking and Forced Labor, BSR

Global Lead, Human Trafficking and Forced Labor, BSR

Paris

Claudio leads BSR’s portfolio on addressing modern slavery, human trafficking, and forced labor. He develops guidance for companies seeking to prevent and mitigate human trafficking and forced labor risks and advances policies to scale impact through BSR’s collaborative initiatives like Tech Against Trafficking, the Global Business Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and Building Responsibly.

He brings almost two decades of years of experience in managing multidisciplinary programs on criminal justice, human rights, and security in multilateral settings. Prior to joining BSR, he worked at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), establishing and leading the Secretariat of the UN Inter-Agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT). As a senior advisor to the Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), he oversaw country needs assessments in North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Claudio holds a MA in Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria and an Executive Certificate from Harvard JFK School of Government in building and leading diverse organizations. He speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian.

Recent Insights From Claudio Formisano

Full Bio

Margot Thompson-Wells, Associate, Human Rights, BSR

Associate, Human Rights, BSR

New York

Margot supports BSR member companies across industries in advancing human rights and sustainability management throughout their value chains. She also works on BSR’s Human Rights Working Group team, helping companies around the world implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and navigate emerging trends and best practices to strengthen their human rights strategies.

Before joining BSR, Margot worked in partnerships and public affairs at the United Nations Foundation, where she managed relationships with civil society, corporate partners, and UN agencies to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her work included managing Global Goals Week, leading private sector engagement for the award-winning #EqualEverywhere gender equality campaign, and coordinating a U.S. Youth Climate Consultation for UN Climate Strategy alongside youth activists and UN bodies. Before this, Margot worked at a Colombian foundation in Bogotá and at a Geneva-based NGO focused on children's rights.

Margot holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Exeter and is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.

Recent Insights From Margot Thompson-Wells

Full Bio

Eileen Gallagher, Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Director, Climate and Nature, BSR

Hong Kong

With nearly 20 years of experience, Eileen works with multinational companies to address climate change. She specializes in improving business strategy to consider how climate change and its solutions affect society, the environment, and the economy.

Eileen directs BSR’s advisory and grant-funded work where climate intersects with human rights and equity, inclusion, and justice. She also supports companies with climate risk and scenario analysis, emissions reduction targets, and net-zero roadmaps. Eileen is BSR’s climate lead in the Asia-Pacific region, where she analyzed how climate change affects vulnerable nations, its people, and global supply chains.

Prior to joining BSR in 2017, Eileen served as a sustainability consultant, supporting companies on sustainability strategy development, strategic stakeholder engagement, and environmental management. While working at a public policy organization, she gained experience in international development, climate policy analysis, and effective communications.

Eileen holds a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Recent Insights From Eileen Gallagher

Full Bio

Beatriz Osorio Marugán, Manager, Climate and Nature, BSR

Manager, Climate and Nature, BSR

Paris

Beatriz is part of the nature and climate change teams, aiming at strengthening and developing BSR’s nature offering as well as tapping into the interconnectedness between these two areas and crafting solutions that uplift members’ climate and nature commitments and their overall impact.

Prior to joining BSR, Beatriz was the Consulting Director and Board Member at the Paris branch of a global social impact student consultancy, where she managed a range of missions, especially within the education, consumer, and financial sectors. She also worked for over two years as a public sector consultant at EY Madrid, where she mostly assisted public bodies in project definition, strategy, and implementation under the European Regional Development Fund scheme, participating in a wide array of projects focusing on social inclusion, the circular economy, green mobility, and smart cities.

Beatriz holds a MS in Sustainability and Social Innovation from HEC Paris, a MS in Management Consulting from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, and a BSc in International Management and Modern Languages (IMML) from the University of Bath. She speaks Spanish, English, and French.