Shift Project

All of us at Shift are deeply saddened at the news of the loss of Catarina de Albuquerque, who was a valued member of Shift’s Board of Trustees from 2017 to 2023. Catarina had an extraordinary career of leadership in the field of human rights, shaping international human rights law and its interpretation, not least by forging understanding and recognition of the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. We remember Catarina’s boundless energy, acute insights and the generosity of spirit she brought to all her work. Notwithstanding her many international achievements and awards, we knew her as someone of humility, irrepressible enthusiasm and humour.  We are blessed to have had the privilege of knowing her and to be among the many who have benefited from her wisdom and kindness. Our sincere condolences go to her family and to all her colleagues at Sanitation and Water for All - a UNICEF-hosted global partnership. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Chair of the Board of Trustees Caroline Rees, President and CEO Rachel Davis, Vice President and Co-founder

📣 We’re hiring: Communications Officer 📍 UK (remote, with regular travel to London) 💼 Full-time | £40,000–£45,000 per annum 🗓 Anticipated start: January 2026 At Shift, the leading centre of expertise on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we help businesses, investors and governments put respect for people’s dignity at the heart of how business gets done. We’re now looking for a Communications Officer to help us tell that story. Working closely with our Head of Global Communications, you’ll shape how Shift engages global audiences, manages its digital presence and ensures our voice is clear, consistent and compelling. What you’ll do – Create and manage content across our website, social media, publications and newsletters – Craft messaging and campaigns that reach diverse audiences worldwide – Write press releases and build relationships with media and partners – Keep our brand identity strong across every channel What you’ll bring – Experience in communications, journalism, PR or marketing – Strong writing and editing skills to make complex ideas accessible – Hands-on experience with websites (ideally WordPress) and social media – A collaborative mindset and commitment to our mission – Experience in human rights, sustainability or non-profits is a plus, as are design or multimedia skills and additional languages. Why join us – Mission-driven, highly respected organisation – Generous leave and 5% employer pension contribution – Professional development support – Remote-first working with co-working support At Shift, we believe the strongest teams are built on diversity of skills, backgrounds and perspectives. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. 👉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gEZcAYSM 📅 Deadline: 9AM, 20 October 2025 (early applications encouraged). #Shift #BusinessAndHumanRights #CommsJobs

  📣 Today, Shift is launching the first part of an update and expansion of its popular Business Model Red Flags tool. With support from The Generation Foundation, and in partnership with BSR (supported by Laudes Foundation), this first update brings a climate lens to 14 climate-linked Red Flags (13 updated, 1 new), each illustrated with examples of corporate practice and the material consequences when risks go unaddressed. Using business models as an entry point, business leaders and financial decision-makers can better understand where climate and human rights challenges intersect and use that insight to build more robust, resilient and rights-respecting climate strategies and transition plans. Conversely, the failure to consider risks to people embedded in business models, and how those interact with climate change action and impacts, will undermine even the most well-intentioned net zero goals. Evolving regulatory requirements (including CSRD and CSDDD), underscore the increasing imperative for companies and their investors to understand the connections across business models, climate change and human rights, and take appropriate action. 🔎 Explore the Shift and BSR climate lens on Shift’s Business Model Red Flags here: https://lnkd.in/gavpe_5X Shift, as part of the broader update to the Business Model Red Flags tool, will be publishing additional thematic lenses in the months ahead, including on themes such as inequality and AI. #BusinessModelRedFlags #ClimateWeekNYC #BusinessAndHumanRights #JustTransition #HumanRightsDueDiligence #CSRD #CSDDD #ResponsibleBusiness #SustainableFinance #ESG #NetZeroTransition   Caroline Rees Rachel Davis Davinder Kumar FRSA Ashleigh Owens Brianna Peterson Mark Hodge Manuela Corredor Vásquez

On 25 September, Shift President & CEO, Caroline Rees, will moderate a fireside chat at the United Nations Global Compact Hub in New York, as part of the plenary session “Building a Better Future: Business and Human Rights”. She’ll be joined by Dr. Kerstin Waltenberg, Chief Human Rights Officer at Volkswagen Group, and Lars-Erik Fridolfsson, Head of Fair & Equal Sustainability at Inter IKEA Group Group, to discuss how leading companies are embedding human rights into their core business strategies, and the challenges and opportunities this creates for sustainability and responsible business. #UNGC #Sustainability #BusinessAndHumanRights #HumanRightsDueDiligence #Shift Caroline Rees Rachel Davis Davinder Kumar FRSA

📣 Creating transparency on living wages: The urgent need to improve EU reporting standards A living wage is a basic human right — it enables access to food, water, health, housing, education, and fair working hours. Yet the current revision of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) risks entrenching a two-tier system: one for workers in the EU, and another — weaker — standard for those outside it. In our latest opinion piece, Ruben Zandvliet (Director for Standards, Shift, and member of the EFRAG Sustainability Reporting Board) and Jonathan Milläng (Senior Advisor, Shift) explain why the draft “adequate wage” disclosure requirement is discriminatory and misleading, and what must change. With EFRAG accepting comments until 29 September, this is a crucial moment to ensure that the ESRS lives up to its potential as a driver of transparency, accountability, and fairness for workers everywhere. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gbQSfzXg #LivingWages #ESRS #CSRD #CSDDD #HumanRights #SustainabilityReporting #EFRAG #EU Caroline Rees Rachel Davis Davinder Kumar FRSA Mark Hodge Andrew Slight

📣 Business Models for a People-Centered Climate Transition On September 24 in New York, during #ClimateWeekNYC, Shift and BSR are convening leaders from across business, finance and civil society to explore how business model transformation is central to delivering a just, people-centered transition to a net-zero economy. This discussion builds on Shift’s Business Model Red Flags — a tool first published in 2021 to help identify human rights risks embedded in how companies create and deliver value. We are now updating and expanding the Red Flags. As part of this update, Shift has partnered with BSR to bring a climate lens to business model risks to people. This climate lens highlights how both climate change and actions to address it can intensify risks for workers, communities and consumers — and how companies and investors can use a business model perspective to build more resilient, rights-respecting climate strategies and transition plans. This climate-focused update has been made possible by generous funding from The Generation Foundation to Shift, and from Laudes Foundation to BSR. We look forward to this timely exchange on how people-centered business model transformation can drive both climate and investment outcomes. This climate lens is the first in a series of thematic updates to Shift’s Business Model Red Flags tool, with forthcoming tranches on issues such as inequality and AI. Find out more about the event here: https://lnkd.in/eiuASDug #ClimateWeekNYC #JustTransition #BusinessModelRedFlags #HumanRights #ClimateChange Ashleigh Owens Paloma Muñoz Quick Brianna Peterson Davinder Kumar FRSA

📣 Announcement: Human Rights & Business Risk Training — Second Edition (Virtual + In-Person in Berlin)! Following the excellent feedback from participants in our first round, we’re launching the next edition of this hands-on program in collaboration with Forvis Mazars Group. Designed for risk and sustainability professionals and colleagues in finance, legal, and procurement, you’ll learn how to: ·      Navigate human rights due diligence and reporting regulations ·      Align with international standards ·      Understand and robustly evaluate the processes and programmes that are in place to address your company’s impacts on people The series kicks off with a virtual session on 6 November, followed by online and in-person workshops in Berlin. Secure your spot and strengthen your organization’s approach to human rights: https://lnkd.in/eX4BhpUW #HumanRights #BusinessAndHumanRights #DueDiligence #SustainabilityStandards #RiskManagement #ESRS Ashleigh Owens Michelle Langlois Davinder Kumar FRSA Forvis Mazars in the UK Forvis Mazars in Germany

Shift President & CEO Caroline Rees will join leading voices at the Accountability in a Sustainable World Conference 2025, taking place online during #ClimateWeekNYC (24–25 September). She will speak on a panel on Sustainability Reporting Standards, as the conference continues to ask the hard questions and delve deeper into sustainability reporting, regulatory developments, practical challenges and opportunities. Now in its 5th year, the event brings together a diverse audience, including professionals and scholars from accounting, finance, law, policy-making, standard-setting, economics, investment, and science. Join the conversation and register here: https://lnkd.in/eC28hKHt #ASWConference2025 #SustainabilityReporting

🔔 HIRING: Shift is looking for a Head of Operations to be the driving force behind Shift’s operational excellence, ensuring that the organization’s infrastructure supports its mission and growth. In this strategic leadership role, you will design, refine, and implement scalable systems, policies, and processes that enhance efficiency, drive innovation, and foster an engaged high-performing culture. Shift Project is the leading centre of expertise on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Every day, we work to build a world where business gets done with respect for people’s dignity. 📍 US-based (Northeast) with existing permission to work 🗓 Apply by Sunday August 24, 2025, 11:59 EST 🔗 Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eGpKZ-ad At Shift, we believe we’re most effective when our team brings a diversity of skills, experiences and perspectives to the work we do every day. We strongly encourage applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds. #Hiring #BizHumanRights #NonProfitJobs #PurposeDrivenWork

Shift welcomes the revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards exposure draft, issued yesterday. The draft offers genuine simplification for companies preparing reports, while still delivering meaningful information for their stakeholders. In our commentary, we recognise how the revisions support more practical and coherent reporting in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights — including clarity on the direct connection between risk-based due diligence and the assessment of material impacts, which then set the basis for identifying material risks. We also highlight one area requiring urgent attention: the discriminatory approach to wage disclosure, which would allow companies to apply lower standards for employees outside the EU. Workers have a human right to a living wage. A consistent and fair approach is essential to ensure meaningful, comparable disclosures for all stakeholders. 👉 Read our full statement here: https://lnkd.in/e88khU8g #SustainabilityReporting #HumanRights #LivingWage #DoubleMateriality #EUReporting #EUOmnibus #EFRAG #CSRD #EuropeanCommission #CorporateReporting #GreenDeal #ESRS