UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC 2023

Hugh is the Global Head of BSR’s Financial Services practice and partners with public and private companies across sectors.

He advises institutional investors, corporations, and other capital market participants on corporate strategy, sustainability, investment value creation strategy, risk management, and stakeholder engagement. 

Prior to joining BSR, Hugh was a senior director at Ceres, where he led investor engagement with global institutional investors representing over US$20 trillion in assets under management (AUM). Hugh managed research and analysis linking climate risks including land use change and water risks to investment portfolios and company supply chains to help investors and companies manage sustainability impacts and opportunities.  

Hugh has over 15 years of investment management expertise in various roles. At the $250 billion AUM Florida State Board of Administration, he worked on corporate governance, liquidity cash management, risk management across asset classes, and portfolio value creation strategy. He also worked at Morgan Stanley, where he provided investment management and consulting services to municipal entities.  

Hugh is a veteran of the US Air Force. He holds a BA in History and International Affairs from Florida State University and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University.  

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

• A Message from Aron Cramer, BSR President and CEO / April 30, 2025 / Blog
• Meeting the Moment Together: BSR’s Partnership with You / April 10, 2025 / Blog
• Navigating Uncertainty: The Impact of U.S. Tariffs on Sustainable Business / April 8, 2025 / Blog
• Navigating Change: How Business Leaders Can Respond to a Changing Policy Environment / February 20, 2025 / Blog
• A Year of Uncertainty: Maintaining Progress Amidst a Battle of Ideas / February 13, 2025 / Audio

Full Bio

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

• Is Your Company Ready for TNFD? / September 24, 2024 / Blog
• How Businesses Can Address the Water Scarcity Crisis / December 14, 2023 / Blog
• Five Ways to Activate Your Board on Nature / September 13, 2023 / Blog
• Decoding Nature’s Soundscapes / April 5, 2023 / Blog
• Back to Nature: A Call to Action / March 28, 2023 / Insights+

Full Bio

Chhavi oversees BSR’s relationships with governments and foundations in North America, where he seeks to create cross-sector partnerships between the private sector and donors to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Prior to joining BSR, Chhavi worked for a socially responsible investment firm, where he combined financial and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) analysis to make sustainable investment recommendations. He also spent several years as an operations manager for Oracle’s Asia-Pacific and Americas regions, opening a new operation in India. He also developed a CSR strategy for a spirits company in Mexico, developed sustainability reports for companies in India and Saudi Arabia, and worked as a freelance CSR consultant for the Institute of Public Health. He speaks English, Spanish, and Hindi.

Chhavi holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business and an M.A. in International Studies from the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a B.A. in English and Computer Science from Rutgers University.

Recent Insights From Chhavi Ghuliani

• Addressing the Conflict Between Growth and Sustainability: Q&A with Jo Swinson / September 20, 2024 / Blog
• The Human Rights Impacts of Workplace Monitoring Technology / March 9, 2021 / Blog
• The Digital Payments Opportunity: A Conversation / June 15, 2018 / Blog
• Financial Needs of Garment Workers in India / March 13, 2018 / Reports
• Why We Need to Advance Digital Financial Services for Factory Workers / July 6, 2017 / News

Full Bio

Laura is a global expert on corporate sustainability, with two decades of experience in strategy consulting and has advised senior executives at global companies across a range of industry sectors and sustainability issues.

As Chief Impact Officer (CIO), the first in the organization’s 30-year history, Laura focuses on maximizing the impact of BSR’s work with its network of over 300 members, both through direct engagement on project work and as a mentor for teams throughout the organization. She also oversees BSR’s Collaborative Initiatives and Membership, and is a recognized thought leader and innovator in strategic business.

She has been an instrumental leader in BSR’s organizational growth and impact. She launched BSR’s financial services practice and New York office, and she served as Chief Operating Officer for five years, leveraging her strengths in strategy, organizational change, and people management. Laura works with leading global companies to develop and enhance their sustainability strategies to maximize value for business and society, and she is sought after to facilitate senior-level strategy workshops and multi-stakeholder collaborations.

She previously worked for Deloitte Consulting, where she acquired extensive strategy experience advising multinational financial services companies. She also worked on several community and economic development projects in Latin America.

Laura holds a MBA from Stanford University and a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. She is an adjunct professor in the Bard MBA in Sustainability program, a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and a member of the UN Global Compact Expert Network.

Recent Insights From Laura Gitman

• Sustainability Goal Setting: A New Chapter / January 21, 2025 / Insights+
• CSOs Are All Business: The Role of the CSO in a New Context / January 9, 2025 / Blog
• Racing Past the Crossroads: How Sustainability Leaders Can Reassert Ambition / October 31, 2024 / Blog
• Frankly Speaking #59, Laura Gitman: Which Future for Sustainability Leadership in the Company? / October 30, 2024 / News
• The CSO at a Crossroads: Three Paths Forward for Sustainability Leaders / October 17, 2024 / Reports

Full Bio

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

• Omnibus: The Costs of Looking Away from Sustainability Impacts in Uncertain Times / May 7, 2025 / Blog
• The EU Omnibus: What’s at Stake for Business, People, and the Planet / January 28, 2025 / Blog
• Sustainability Strategy in the Age of Regulation: Don’t Lose the Plot / October 3, 2024 / Blog
• CSDDD: A De Facto Climate Due Diligence Law That Safeguards People / September 23, 2024 / Blog
• The CSDDD: Implications for the Finance Industry / September 4, 2024 / Blog

Full Bio

David leads BSR’s marketing and communications initiatives, working with a global team to amplify the organization’s mission and showcase its activities, impacts, and thought leadership to members, partners, and the wider business and policy community.

David previously worked for The B Team, a group of global business and civil society leaders working to catalyze a better way of doing business for the well-being of people and the planet. Throughout his 20-year career, he has worked with businesses and nonprofits in economic development, public health, and sustainability to define and communicate their purpose and impacts. .

He has built high-impact communications campaigns for a collaboration to improve maternal health in Zambia and Uganda, driven top-tier media coverage for a major economic development project in upstate New York, and helped strengthen parliamentary capacity and voter education efforts in South Africa and Zambia. He began his career as a newspaper reporter.

David earned his M.A. from The Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University and his B.A. in Journalism and Political Science from Michigan State University.

Recent Insights From David Stearns

• A Year of Uncertainty: Maintaining Progress Amidst a Battle of Ideas / February 13, 2025 / Audio
• A Conversation with Mario Abreu, Group VP, Sustainability, Ferrero / February 6, 2025 / Audio
• A Conversation with Darsh Myronidis, Group Director of Sustainability, Virgin / January 8, 2025 / Audio
• Reflections from Climate Week NYC: The Tension Between Pragmatism and Ambition / October 1, 2024 / Audio
• Navigating U.S. Election Uncertainty: A Call to Action for Sustainable Business / August 1, 2024 / Audio

Full Bio