The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) is pleased to announce that Virginie Mahin, Senior Director Global Social Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement, Mondelēz International, and Rachel Elliott, General Manager Sustainability – Human Rights, Woolworths Group, were elected to the leadership team of the Human Rights Coalition (HRC) as Co-Chairs in April 2023. In their new roles, they join Paul Lalli, Global VP, Human Rights, The Coca-Cola Company, who has served as HRC Co-Chair since May 2021. 

The HRC welcomes Virginie and Rachel’s leadership as it continues to advance on its mission to make human rights due diligence the norm in the industry for the benefit of Workers worldwide. Bringing strong technical backgrounds in human rights issues, supply chain management, and stakeholder collaboration, Virginie and Rachel will serve as key leaders in the Coalition as it progresses on its individual ambitions and strengthens relationships with other industry initiatives, including the CGF’s Forest Positive Coalition of Action.

Commenting on the new role, Rachel said, “As Australia and New Zealand’s largest retailer, Woolworths Group cares deeply about our impact on people and the planet and we want to go further than just minimising harm – we want to play an active role in creating better experiences. Our human rights programme is underpinned by two guiding principles which drive our ambition and approach: we recognise our responsibility to lead on these important issues, and we acknowledge that no global retailer is immune from the risks of modern slavery. No one group can solve these challenges alone, and that’s why we embrace the power of partnerships to expand our scope and scale of impact. We are very pleased to be able to contribute to the collective effort through the CGF’s Human Rights Coalition.”

Virginie added, “Joining forces and exchanging learnings with members of the Coalition has been a key resource for Mondelēz International, as we continuously enhance our human rights due diligence approach. I am delighted to partner with Rachel and Paul in finding further opportunities for sector collaboration and driving meaningful change for people across the consumer goods value chain.”

The HRC congratulates Virginie and Rachel on their election and looks forward to an impactful collaboration ahead.

To learn more about the HRC, visit its website here.

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