Jessica McGowan is a Senior Associate at Henekom Group, supporting human rights due diligence research and stakeholder engagement. She designs stakeholder tools such as surveys and consensus-building activities, conducts desk research and data analysis, and supports creation of human rights action plans.

Prior to joining Henekom, Jessica worked in the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence, where she helped develop responsible sourcing tools for procurement, mapped multi-level resources to strengthen access-to-remedy, and co-authored the Women and Girls Equity Landscape Analysis and Benchmarking Report—an effort to advocate for the creation of a Foundation. She also served as Assistant Director in the Mayor’s Office of Education and Youth Engagement—the youngest team member in the Mayor’s Office and the first to serve in such a senior capacity at age 23—where she authored the office’s first annual impact report, managed a team to deliver the 80-page report in one month, and facilitated stakeholder workshops at a National League of Cities convening representatives from over 20 cities. Her contributions supported Houston’s designation as the first UNICEF Child-Friendly City in the US.

With a background in communications and design, Jessica has strong analytical and data synthesis skills to enhance deliverables.

Jessica earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Texas A&M University, with minors in English and Women’s and Gender Studies. During her undergraduate studies, she was recognized with a university writing award for excellence in academic writing.

Hyeonju Wang is a Senior Analyst at Henekom Group, supporting research, content development, and strategic communications across a range of human rights issues.

Hyeonju began working in business and human rights with A30/ as an advisor where her work spanned from developing worker empowerment programs for global supply chains and evaluating human rights proposals for FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities. She also supported research efforts with UNDP to publish "Reflections and Directions- Business and Human Rights in Asia: From the First Decade to the Next" and designed multiple reports for research initiatives focusing on Myanmar in collaboration with USIP and USAID. She also has experience in the nonprofit setting, leading communications strategies through narrative storytelling, designing websites and graphics for multimedia purposes to increase civic and community engagement.

With a strong background in community outreach and qualitative research, she specializes in stakeholder engagement, policy research, and cross-cultural communication with special interests in labor rights, migration, and corporate accountability.

She has presented her work as a guest lecturer and speaker in both academic and public forums, including at TEDxLincoln's Salon event on the topic of Technology as a Human Right. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Communications Studies from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Hyeonju speaks conversational Korean.

Anna Christians works at the intersection of human rights, climate mobility, and ESG policy. She contributed to the Climate Mobility Case Database at the Raul Wallenberg Institute, conducting in-depth research on climate displacement and related litigation, analyzing national and international policy frameworks, and systematically documenting legal and policy responses. Anna also served as a Defender in Development with the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, supporting ESG-focused initiatives and advancing human rights advocacy efforts.

Her work and academic focus include climate mobility and human rights due diligence, with particular attention to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Anna holds a Master’s in Human Rights and Democratisation from the Global Campus of Human Rights, where she completed courses in human rights due diligence and corporate sustainability reporting. She also completed a Master’s thesis research semester in International Law at Lund University Law Faculty and earned a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds.

Bridget Montovani is an Analyst at Henekom Group, providing project support, research assistance, and administrative coordination across client deliverables and internal processes.

While in college, Bridget worked at the Kinney Center for Autism Support and Education where she gained a first hand understanding of the importance of advocacy, specifically in accessibility.

She also served as her sorority’s Vice President of Programming and Enrichment, where she oversaw engagement based programming, academic support, and DEI initiatives within the chapter.

Through her coursework and leadership roles, Bridget has developed a strong foundation in both quantitative and qualitative research, along with a passion for advocacy and fostering inclusion.

Bridget earned a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Saint Joseph’s University, with a minor in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

Iain Levine is a Senior Advisor with Henekom and brings over 40 years of human rights and humanitarian experience with the United Nations, civil society, and the private sector. 

His most recent position was as a director on the human rights team at Meta where he was involved in policy development, risk assessments, human rights due diligence and reporting; cross-sectoral, diverse stakeholder engagement;  conflict and crisis response; policy development and training and capacity building.

Before Meta, Iain occupied senior positions with UNICEF, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, including more than ten years working in conflict zones in Africa. His experience covers a broad range of human rights and humanitarian issues, research, high level advocacy and managing large teams. 

He brings substantial expertise in developing strategies and policies to respect the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. He is a compelling communicator with the ability to convey complex issues in emotionally resonant ways to mobilize and inspire audiences.  

He holds Master's degree in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries with distinction from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Sciences (first class honours) from the University of Hull. He is also a trained executive coach and works with human rights, humanitarian and social responsibility professionals from the UN, not-for-profits, and the corporate sector. Iain is fluent in English and Portuguese. 

Paul Costello is a senior program manager for the German Marshall Fund Cities program, based in the organization’s Berlin office. He leads work on city international engagement, migration, democracy, and disinformation projects. For years, Paul has been conceptualizing and implementing successful programs that bring together local leaders and officials from cities across North America and Europe, fostering exchange, learning, and innovative local solutions tackling global issues. He also serves on the Democracy & Belonging Forum’s Advisory Board. Paul has a background in public policy and prior work experience in sustainability and public diplomacy programs. He is fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Catalan. Paul is a graduate of the Master of Public Policy program at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin and has a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University in Montreal.

Irene Carretero Sala is a dedicated human rights consultant specializing in gender, migration, and emergency response. Currently serving as a human rights program manager at FIFA, she leverages the global influence of football to promote the protection of at-risk athletes and foster resilience in humanitarian situations. With a decade of expertise in humanitarian aid, conflict mediation, and cross-cultural management, she has partnered with various international organizations to establish sustainable strategies aimed at addressing human rights violations and bridging the gap between policies, organizations, and vulnerable communities.

Irene is committed to promoting positive social impact and driving systemic change through innovative approaches. Her combination of on-the-ground humanitarian experience and high-level strategic work enables her to address the complexities of global inequalities and advocate for marginalized voices.

Fluent in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, Irene holds a Master's degree in International Cooperation and Development Politics from Universidad de Malaga, a Bachelor's degree in Political Sciences from Sciences Po Paris, and is a certified Business and Personal Master Coach from Academie Europeenne de Coaching.