In most industries, supply chains are incredibly complex and opaque, and rely on a vast array of suppliers, contractors, and labor pools. Lack of transparency in workplaces far-flung from corporate headquarters can expose companies, workers, and consumers to the risk of human trafficking, child labor, and dangerous, degraded conditions. This session will take a close look at partnerships between social entrepreneurs and corporate giants. We’ll see how more responsible sourcing, transparency, and governance can ensure fair and humane livelihoods for workers and better stability for companies.
Marika is Human Rights Director at Mars, Incorporated. She leads global human rights strategy, policy, guidance, external engagement, and governance, collaborating with groups across the Mars business and value chain to advance respect for human rights. This work focuses on human rights in Mars operations, in Mars first-tier supplier workplaces, and in extended supply chains to origin level. It includes action on priority issues such as modern slavery and child labor. Marika co-chairs the Consumer Goods Forum’s task-force on forced labor and is a member of The Aspen Institute’s Leaders Forum.
Previously, Marika spent ten years at The Coca-Cola Company where she led sustainability and public affairs partnerships, policies and programs. Prior to joining Coca-Cola, she worked for Oxfam America on economic development and human rights in Washington DC and Southeast Asia. She received her Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Marika is from Hawaii and has lived in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. She is now based at Mars headquarters in Washington DC.
Dan Viederman is a Managing Director at Working Capital, focused on efforts to engage and invest in entrepreneurs and tech innovators in pursuit of new tools to scale improvements for vulnerable workers in global supply chains.
Previously, Dan was CEO of Verité, a leading non-profit organization working against global forced and child labor through in-depth research and corporate engagement. In recognition of Verité’s impact, Dan was winner of a 2007 Skoll Foundation Award for Social Entrepreneurship and was named Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011. He has also managed China offices for World Wildlife Fund and Catholic Relief Services.
Dan is graduate of Yale University, the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and the Chinese language program at Nanjing Teacher’s University.
Vice President Product Quality and Responsible Sourcing, Target
Irene Quarshie is a vice president in Target Corporation’s global sourcing organization. She leads a global team of 300+ team members, and is responsible for product quality and responsible sourcing. Her team’s purpose is to ensure Target’s vendors and suppliers operate efficient, safe and ethical factory environments where they can produce safe, reliable, high-quality products.
Previously, Irene was Target’s Director of Government Affairs where she oversaw all government affairs activities at state and local levels nationwide. She has held other leadership positions during her tenure at Target, including Senior Group Manager of Corporate Risk and Responsibility and Group Manager of Supplier Diversity.
Prior to Target, Irene spent five years as a strategy and management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, and three years in the government affairs industry.
Among her many affiliations, Irene serves as on the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Minneapolis, Meet Minneapolis, The Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Her graduate paper on juvenile justice was published in A Comparative Perspective on Major Social Problems. She holds a B.A. in political science from Adelphi University and Master’s in Public Policy from American University.
Nina Smith is the founding Chief Executive Officer of GoodWeave International, the leading global NGO working to stop child labor in global supply chains by bringing visibility and voice to workers; restoring childhoods; and providing assurance to companies and consumers. Under Nina's leadership GoodWeave has pioneered and innovated a system that has directly rescued more than 6,000 children from exploitation and provided rehabilitation, education, and other critical support to these and thousands of other children in producer communicates in India, Nepal, and Afghanistan. A longtime advocate for children’s rights and an expert on addressing labor violations in manufacturing supply chains, Nina has spoken on these issues at fora such as the Skoll World Forum, the World Economic Forum, Harvard University, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, the American Bar Association, among others. She is winner of the Skoll and Schwab awards for social entrepreneurship, and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s EXCEL Award for excellence in chief executive leadership. Currently Nina sits on the board of the Fair Labor Association, and is a practitioner affiliate of the Social Enterprise Graduate Degree program at American University. She is a graduate of Tufts University.
Dr. Shawn MacDonald is CEO of Verité, a civil society organization that works to promote workers’ rights in global supply chains through research, consulting, training, assessments, and policy advocacy. Before his appointment as CEO in 2016, Shawn had led Verité’s research, program, and policy work since 2003. Shawn has broad international and domestic experience in labor rights, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, workplace health, and multi-sector partnerships. Before joining Verité, he was Director of Accreditation at the Fair Labor Association, Vice President of Ashoka, Senior Advisor at Meridian Group International, and co-founder of the Development and Employment Policy Project. Additionally, he worked for a variety of civil society organizations in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. He holds a Ph.D. from George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and an AB in History from Harvard University.
