Our Board

Conway is a Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton, working in the International Dispute Resolution Group based in London. He is admitted as a Solicitor Advocate in England & Wales and is also called to the bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Dr Blake has an active pro bono practice and has represented clients on matters before the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. A trustee since 2018, Dr Blake is also an advisor on the Trust’s strategic litigation.

Patrick is a partner at international law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, based in its London office. He practices in the fields of litigation, corporate investigations, white-collar crime and administrative law. He has an active human rights law practice, both pro bono and commercial, which extends to advising public authorities on human rights compliance, litigation before courts in the UK and elsewhere, including before the European Court of Human Rights, and advising multinational corporations on the obligations and expectations weighing on them in connection with the rights of peoples and communities affected by their operations. Patrick chairs the Trust’s legal committee.

Matthew is a managing director at Accenture, the global professional services company, where he leads research into sustainable business. A strategy consultant by training, he is an experienced facilitator of executive dialogue, especially at the intersection of business, government and society. A trustee of the Human Dignity Trust since 2018, he serves as Treasurer and chairs the Board's Finance and Audit Committee. He is also a trustee of SafetyCurtain.

Michael is Professor of Law at University of Notre Dame Law School, and Director of the Notre Dame London Law program, having previously worked at the Universities of Exeter and Staffordshire. Professor Addo was born in Ghana, where most of his family live, and is a member of the Ghana Bar Association. His career in international human rights stretches for over 30 years, including as a member of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights from 2011-2018. He also served as a member and then Chair of the Coordination Committee of the United Nations Special Procedure mandate holders.

Alfonso is a partner, portfolio manager and principal investment officer at Capital Group, a global investment management company. He has 30 years of investment experience across global equity and fixed income markets and has previously specialised in the European and Latin American retail, real estate and internet & telecommunications sectors. He has longstanding experience in global corporate governance, ESG and board engagement.

Emma has over 20 years’ experience in human resources in the global financial services sector and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She is a trans woman and is passionate about raising awareness of trans & non-binary issues, most notably at events organised by leading private sector companies. She was previously a Trustee for the Gender Identity Research & Education Society, chaired the National Trans Youth Conference for two years and was a co-founder of Trans*formation. Emma is a recipient of the Positive LGBT Role Model Award at the National Diversity Awards, the UK Prime Minister’s Office Points of Light recognition for her work in support of trans & non-binary people, and she has appeared in the OUT at Work top 50 UK LGBT Executives. She is currently a Director at Global Butterflies, a company that has been highly successful in bringing about trans & non-binary inclusion and acceptance within corporate organisations.

Since joining The Economist in 2000, Andrew has been its public-policy editor, Moscow bureau chief, political editor, US correspondent and culture editor. He has covered human-rights issues in many countries and writes Back Story, the paper's column on culture. Set in Russia, his first novel, Snowdrops, was shortlisted for the Booker prize.

Sara joined the Board in June 2023 bringing with her over 20 years of strategic communications experience with international human rights organisations. Between 2004-2014, she held a senior position with Amnesty International Secretariat with responsibility for brand development, international content and media teams alongside organisational change processes. She is currently Senior Director of Communications and Campaigns with international freedom of expression organisation, ARTICLE 19 which she joined in 2016.

Our team brings together lawyers, activists, communications specialists and researchers. Together we use the law to defend the rights of LGBT people globally.

In 63 countries there are still laws criminalising LGBT people which fuel stigma, legitimise prejudice and encourage violence. The Human Dignity Trust exists to change this. Your donation will help us support activists around the world to bravely challenge these discriminatory laws. Together, we can bring forward the day when no one is criminalised because of who they are or who they love.

Mobilising the intellectual resources of the international legal community to defend the human rights of LGBT people.